Israel Kills Hamas Jenin Commander in First West Bank Airstrike Since 2025
Israel killed Hamas's Jenin commander Qais Bitawi and two others in a West Bank drone strike Friday, confirmed by the IDF and Shin Bet, the first such attack since February 2025.
An Israeli drone strike killed three Palestinians in Jenin on Friday, including Qais Bitawi, identified by the Shin Bet security service as the head of Hamas operations in the city. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the strike. Al Jazeera reported it was the first Israeli airstrike in the West Bank since February 2025.
What We Know
The IDF said the strike targeted Bitawi and two accomplices. The Shin Bet named Bitawi as the senior Hamas figure responsible for directing militant activity in Jenin, and identified the two men killed alongside him as accomplices. All three were confirmed dead by Israeli security officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the operation, posting on X that the IDF had conducted a “successful thwarting of the terrorists in Jenin,” according to the Jerusalem Post. Israel’s defense minister also praised the strike publicly. The Times of Israel reported that Israeli officials described the operation as a targeted counterterrorism action.
Palestinian health officials confirmed three fatalities in Jenin. Al Jazeera noted the strike hit the city via a drone and described it as exceptional in the current operational context, given how rarely such aerial attacks have occurred in the West Bank.
What We Don’t Know
It is not yet clear what specific operation Bitawi was planning at the time of the strike, or whether additional targets have been identified in Jenin. Hamas issued a statement calling for Israeli “crimes” to stop, per Al Jazeera, but the group has not provided further operational detail. Palestinian Authority leadership has not publicly addressed the strike as of this writing. This story is developing.
Context
West Bank airstrikes have been rare compared to Israeli aerial operations in Gaza and Lebanon. The last confirmed Israeli airstrike in the West Bank occurred in February 2025, making Friday’s strike a notable shift in tactics after roughly 18 months. Jenin has been a repeated focus of Israeli ground operations, with forces conducting major incursions into the city’s refugee camp in 2023 and 2024 to dismantle militant infrastructure.
The strike comes as Israeli forces continue operations across multiple fronts. Middle East Eye reported a separate Israeli drone attack in southern Lebanon on Friday. Israeli strikes in Gaza have also continued, with five people killed there the same day, per Al Jazeera. The simultaneous pressure across Gaza, Lebanon, and now the West Bank via air reflects an increasingly multi-front operational posture.
What to Watch
- Whether Israel conducts follow-on airstrikes in the West Bank, and whether the Jenin strike signals a formal policy shift toward aerial targeting in that theater.
- Palestinian Authority and Hamas responses in the coming 24 to 48 hours, and whether violence escalates in Jenin or other West Bank cities.
- U.S. reaction, given American diplomatic involvement in Gaza ceasefire negotiations and longstanding pressure on Israel over West Bank operations.
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