The IDF carried out a targeted airstrike Friday in Jenin, in Samaria, killing Qais Bitawi, identified by Israeli security forces as a senior Hamas commander, along with two accomplices.

The operation was conducted jointly by the IDF, Yamam, Shin Bet and Military Intelligence. Bitawi was accused of directing, funding and carrying out attacks while maintaining ties with Hamas networks in Gaza and abroad.

The strike took place as part of Operation Iron Wall, launched in early 2025 across northern Judea and Samaria, including Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas, to dismantle armed networks such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

As part of the operation, Israeli forces have established semi-permanent military outposts in cleared refugee camps, marking the longest continuous Israeli troop deployment in northern Judea and Samaria in decades.