Israel–Palestine–Lebanon

Israeli drone strike in Jenin kills three Palestinians

ATTACK
Location
Western Jenin, occupied West Bank
Actors
Israel · Hamas
Importance
Notable

An Israeli drone struck in Jenin on the afternoon of 28 August, killing three Palestinians in a rare use of air power in the occupied West Bank. The IDF and Shin Bet named one as Qais Bitawi, a Hamas-linked operative, and two accomplices; Hamas did not claim him, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad said he was a senior member of its armed wing.

Al Jazeera, AFP/Reuters and the Times of Israel reported the strike. The IDF said Bitawi and two others were hit after leaving a vehicle beside a structure, and that a weapon was later found in the car. Wafa said the drone hit a house under construction in western Jenin and that the three died instantly. The Palestine Red Crescent said Israeli ground troops raided the site, briefly detained medics and blocked evacuation of the dead and wounded. Affiliation is recorded as competing claims: the IDF/Shin Bet, Hamas’s non-claim, and Islamic Jihad’s statement. Islamic Jihad is not a seeded theatre actor. The IDF released short drone footage of the strike.

X · @idfonlineVerified

IDF-released drone footage of the Jenin strike (graphic; about eight seconds).

Credit Israel Defense Forces (@idfonline) ·

Play contacts video.twimg.com directly.

  • Fatalities: Best 3 people · Confidence: Confirmed · Evidence: Israeli strike kills three Palestinians in West Bank’s Jenin, In rare West Bank airstrike, IDF says it killed 3 Palestinian terror operatives, In a special Shin Bet-led operation, security forces killed three militants in Jenin, including Qais Bitawi

Verification: Confirmed

Evidence: Israeli strike kills three Palestinians in West Bank’s Jenin, In rare West Bank airstrike, IDF says it killed 3 Palestinian terror operatives, In a special Shin Bet-led operation, security forces killed three militants in Jenin, including Qais Bitawi

The strike and three deaths are multi-outlet; the named affiliation of those killed is disputed between the IDF, Hamas’s silence and Islamic Jihad.