On Friday afternoon, Israeli forces assassinated three Palestinian young men after targeting a house with a drone strike, in the Hursh al-Saada area, in the western part of Jenin city, in the northern occupied West Bank.
Media sources reported that an Israeli drone strike targeted an under construction house in the Hursh al-Saada area, while additional reinforcements were deployed at the scene and in several areas of Jenin city.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that its ambulance crews were called to the site of the drone strike, where Israeli forces detained them upon arrival.
Later the PRCS reported that soldiers released its crews, forcing them to leave without transporting any of the wounded or dead, and confiscated medical equipment.
The Palestinian Health Ministry announced the identities of the victims as Qais Ibrahim Mohammad Al-Bitawi, 22, Basil Mohammad Ibrahim Turkman, 26, and Mu’min Mohammad Faris Jaradat, 22, adding that occupation forces confiscated their bodies.
WAFA correspondent reported that Israeli forces abducted the young man Ibrahim Al-Bitawi, while he was near the Al-Naseem roundabout in Jenin city.
In a statement, the Israeli army announced the assassination of the wanted Qais al-Bitawi, along with “additional aides” after carrying out what it called a “precision attack” in Jenin, targeting Palestinians from the air.
The army claimed that Al-Bitawi was an “organization leader” who was allegedly “responsible for local Hamas activity in the Jenin camp”, who “worked to advance numerous operations,” adding that a weapon was found in their vehicle.
Applauding the assassination operation in Jenin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as “an initiative, an attack, and a successful thwarting.”
Yisrael Katz, Israel’s Defense Minister stated that “These are the fruits of the offensive and preemptive policy that we are leading in ‘Judea and Samaria’ (the occupied West Bank),” adding, “We will continue to act forcefully and preemptively and thwart any threat to Israeli citizens, wherever it may be.”
Israeli aircraft struck a building in the Harsheh Al-Sa’adah neighborhood of Jenin, assassinating three Palestinian fighters.
Israeli occupation troops then raided the city and besieged the targeted home, denying ambulances access to the wounded and leaving them to bleed to… pic.twitter.com/CMDNCM8rur
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) August 28, 2026
In a statement, the Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas said that they “hold the occupation fully responsible for the repercussions of this bombing and the escalating crimes, and for the continuation of its brutal policy based on killing, demolition and intimidation. We affirm that the continuation of the aggression will not create security or stability for the occupation.”
The resistance movement did not claim Al-Bitawi as a member of its forces, while the Islamic Jihad resistance group released a statement that he was a senior operative of its armed wing.
