3 Palestinians killed in Israeli drone strike in occupied West Bank

An Israeli drone strike killed three Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Friday, with Israeli forces subsequently withholding their bodies, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The ministry said the Public Authority for Civil Affairs, which serves as the official Palestinian liaison with Israel, informed it that three Palestinians were killed after being targeted by a drone in Jenin and that Israeli forces had taken custody of their bodies.

The victims were identified as Qais Bitawi, 22; Basel Turkman, 26; and Moamen Jaradat, 22, it said.

Earlier, an Israeli drone struck a partially built home in western Jenin, the first aerial strike on the city in nearly 10 months.

The strike targeted the half-built home in the Harsh al-Saada, not a vehicle, as was initially reported by Israeli media.

Sources said several Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances converged on the scene as Israeli military vehicles deployed to the area.

“The Israeli army is holding our ambulance crew after it arrived at the targeted house,” the Red Crescent said in a statement.

The organization later said Israel released its members and asked them to leave the area without allowing them to transport the dead or wounded.

In a statement released earlier Friday, the Israeli army said warplanes “precisely struck” several people in the city. It did not say who or how many.

It provided no details on the outcome of the attack.

A subsequent statement said the army “eliminated” three people, including Bitawi, claiming he was a Hamas member. The army did not name the other victims.

The occupied West Bank has seen a dramatic surge in Israeli military activity, along with attacks by Israeli occupiers, since Israel launched its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

The escalation has been accompanied by the expansion of illegal Israeli settlement outposts throughout the West Bank and increased restrictions on the movement of Palestinian residents.

The strike came 60 days before Israel’s Oct. 27 Knesset election, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to shore up support among right-wing and far-right voters amid growing electoral pressure on his Likud party.

Israeli military operations have continued in Jenin and its refugee camp since January 2025, displacing thousands of Palestinians and causing widespread damage to homes and infrastructure.

Netanyahu increasingly highlights Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territories ahead of the election, seeking to consolidate support among the right and far right, which form a key part of his political base and governing coalition.

The last Israeli airstrike in Jenin province was reported on Oct. 28, 2025, when a helicopter targeted a cave and a vehicle near Kafr Qud in the western part of the province, killing three Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

DAILYSABAH