Israeli forces struck several Palestinians in Jenin on Friday, amid a sprawling military operation across the West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet also confirmed a separate airstrike killed a former senior militant cell member. The military operations across the West Bank continued on Friday, according to updates from regional reporting, as security forces carried out a rare airstrike in the northern city of Jenin. The army stated that warplanes precisely struck several individuals described as militants, while Palestinian reports indicated that Israeli forces subsequently surrounded the site in the al-Saada grove, west of the Jenin refugee camp.
Targeted Airstrikes and Militant Cell Operations in Jenin
The IDF killed a former senior Jenin terror cell member and two additional terrorists in an IAF airstrike on their vehicle in the West Bank on Friday, the military confirmed in a joint statement with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). The senior terrorist, Qais Bitwani, was a Hamas operative in the now-dismantled Jenin terrorist network, according to the joint statement. Qais Bitwani was a relative of the former Jenin terrorist network commander, Noor Bitawi, who was killed by the IDF in May 2025, the military and security agency said.
The statement noted that Qais Bitwani was involved in “significantterror activities, including
directing, funding, and executing” terrorist attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians. Bitwani had maintained his connections to Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as well as international operatives, the statement added. According to the IDF and Shin Bet, the other two terrorists in Bitwani’s vehicle were his accomplices, and the vehicle also contained weapons.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated the IDF for the successful thwarting of the terrorists in Jenin
in an X/Twitter Post earlier on Friday. Defense Minister Israel Katz also congratulated the IDF in an X post later on Friday, as well as the Israel Police and security forces, describing the strike as among the fruits of the offensive and proactive policy we are leading in Judea and Samaria.
“We do not wait for terrorism. We pursue it, conquer its strongholds, and thwart its people.”
Israel Katz, Defense Minister
He noted that the policy has led to an 80% decrease in West Bank terrorist activity, emphasizing that Israel will continue to act forcefully and proactively to thwart any threat to its citizens, wherever it may be found.
Disputed Raid Footage and Investigation
Israeli human rights group B’Tselem shared a video on Thursday that it says shows Israeli soldiers executing two Palestinian men who had surrendered during a raid in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The video, which B’Tselem credits to Palestine TV and which CBS News has not independently verified, appears to show Israeli soldiers surrounding a garage-style door on a building as two men emerge with their hands in the air. The men can be seen lifting their shirts and kneeling on the ground as the soldiers approach. One of the soldiers kicks one of the men before both men start moving back into the building through the large open door, seemingly at the orders of the soldiers. Gunshots are then heard, and one of the men still visible in the doorway can be seen slumping to the floor.
B’Tselem identified the two men as Yusef ‘Asa’sah, 39, and al-Muntaser bel-lah ‘Abdallah, 26, both of whom the group said were wanted by the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF acknowledged an operation to apprehend wanted individuals in Jenin on Thursday, saying the men had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces.
“The forces entered the area, enclosed the structure in which the suspects were located, and initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours. Following the use of engineering tools on the structure, the two suspects exited. Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects,” the IDF said in a statement shared with CBS News.
“The incident is under review by the commanders on the ground, and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies.”
IDF, Statement to CBS News
Israeli security forces have been accused on many occasions since the war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack of using excessive, often lethal force against Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank.
Broader West Bank Security Operations and Humanitarian Impact
The West Bank, home to the Palestinian Authority, has seen soaring violence by Israeli settlers but has mostly avoided the Israeli military airstrikes that have devastated the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas. In early 2025, the military launched a wide-ranging operation targeting refugee camps in the northern West Bank that it said was aimed at cracking down on Palestinian armed groups. In February of that year, it deployed tanks in Jenin, which is known as a hotbed of Palestinian militancy.
The large-scale operation has caused the displacement of nearly 40,000 people from the camps, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
