World News
Israeli air strike in Jenin kills three people in rare West Bank aerial attack
The Israeli military reported targeting a Hamas operative, while Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed all three of the deceased were its fighters.
The short version
- An Israeli air strike in the Jenin area of the occupied West Bank on Friday killed three people, marking a rare use of military air power in the territory.
- The Israeli military and Palestinian Islamic Jihad released conflicting claims regarding the political affiliation of the primary target, Qais Bitawi.
- The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that Israeli forces briefly detained its medical crews at the scene and confiscated their equipment.
Key facts
- An Israeli air strike on Friday targeted a house under construction on the outskirts of Jenin in the northern West Bank, killing three people.[France 24]
- The Israeli military identified one of the deceased as Qais Bitawi, characterizing him as a Hamas operative involved in planning and funding attacks against Israelis.[France 24]
- The armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad disputed the Hamas affiliation, claiming that Bitawi was a prominent leader of its own Al-Quds Brigades and that the other two individuals killed were also its fighters.[France 24]
- Hamas issued a statement denouncing the air strike as a massacre.[France 24]
- The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that responding medical crews were briefly detained by Israeli forces, had their equipment confiscated, and were ordered to leave the site without evacuating patients.[France 24]
- The strike represents a rare deployment of military air power in the West Bank, where Israel last conducted an air strike in February 2025.[France 24]
What remains uncertain
- There is a dispute over Qais Bitawi's organizational affiliation, with Israel labeling him a Hamas operative and Palestinian Islamic Jihad claiming him as an Al-Quds Brigades leader.[France 24]