Israel carries out rare air strike in occupied West Bank

On Friday, Israel conducted a rare aerial assault in the occupied West Bank, reportedly resulting in the death of a Hamas operative and two associates. The military targeted a vehicle near Jenin, situated in the northern region of the West Bank, a territory under Israeli occupation since 1967. While Hamas denounced the strike, it did not officially confirm the target as a member of the group.

The West Bank has experienced an increase in militant Israeli settler actions against Palestinians, alongside military incursions into Palestinian towns. The area of Jenin witnessed a significant Israeli offensive last year, which the military claimed targeted militant strongholds. The Israeli military asserted Qais Bitawi was responsible for orchestrating assaults on Israeli civilians and security personnel, stating he maintained connections with Hamas members in both Gaza and internationally.

The Palestine Red Crescent reported that Israeli ground forces stormed the site of the drone strike, forcibly removing medical personnel and obstructing the transportation of the deceased and injured to hospitals. Israel's Defense Minister, Isaac Katz, announced Israel's intention to maintain a permanent military presence in Jenin, following a major incursion into a refugee camp in early 2025.

Katz claimed the military actions were in response to preemptive terrorism, aimed at eradicating strongholds and disrupting the group's supporters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the military for "neutralizing the terrorists in Jenin." These 2025 operations in the northern West Bank led to the displacement of thousands of Palestinians, with Israeli forces dismantling refugee camps and maintaining their most extensive presence in certain West Bank cities in decades.

Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity due to these forced expulsions, a claim Israel vehemently denies. In Gaza, five Palestinians were killed in three Israeli strikes on Friday, including a family of three in Deir Al Balah, a motorbike rider in Gaza city, and another individual in Gaza city, according to local health officials. The Israeli military has yet to provide an official response to these additional strikes.