Rare Israeli Airstrike in West Bank Kills Hamas Operative and Two Others

An Israeli airstrike in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin has killed three Palestinians, including a man identified by Israel as a Hamas operative, in one of the territory’s rare Israeli aerial attacks.

The Israeli military said the strike was carried out on Friday, August 28, targeting a vehicle in the Jenin area. It identified the main target as Qais Bitawi, whom it accused of directing, financing and carrying out attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces.

The military said Bitawi also maintained links with Hamas members in Gaza and abroad.

According to Reuters, the strike killed Bitawi and two other people described by the Israeli military as his accomplices. Hamas confirmed that Bitawi was one of its members and condemned the attack, while Palestinian Islamic Jihad also claimed him as a member.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed that three Palestinians were killed in the attack, according to the Associated Press.

The Israeli military said the strike targeted a car carrying the men. Palestinian reports, however, said the attack hit a house under construction in western Jenin.

Israeli airstrikes are far less common in the West Bank than in Gaza. The latest attack marks a significant escalation in an area that has already experienced increasing military raids and violence.

Al Jazeera, citing AFP and Reuters, reported that the last Israeli strike in the West Bank was in February 2025, underscoring how unusual Friday’s attack was.

The northern West Bank, particularly Jenin, has remained a major flashpoint, with Israeli forces conducting repeated operations against Palestinian armed groups.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said Israeli ground troops entered the area following the drone strike and briefly detained medical workers, while preventing them from transporting people killed or wounded in the attack to hospital.

Reuters reported that the Israeli military had not immediately responded to the Red Crescent’s allegations.

The incident comes amid broader concerns over escalating violence in the West Bank, including Israeli military raids and attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

Reuters reported that Israeli operations in northern West Bank during 2025 forced thousands of Palestinians from their homes, while Israel has rejected accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity made by Human Rights Watch.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the operation, describing it as a successful effort to thwart the targeted individuals, while Defence Minister Israel Katz also congratulated the military and security agencies involved.

Hamas, meanwhile, condemned the strike and called for international action against what it described as Israeli attacks on Palestinians.

The latest violence adds to tensions in the West Bank at a time when the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains highly volatile despite diplomatic efforts aimed at maintaining a fragile ceasefire.