From the Liveblog of
Friday, August 28, 2026
IDF says it killed 3 Palestinian terror operatives in rare West Bank airstrike
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Three Palestinian terror operatives, including a commander, were killed in an Israeli drone strike in the West Bank city of Jenin this afternoon, the military announces.
The strike had targeted Qais Bitawi, who, according to the Shin Bet, was the head of Hamas’s activities in the Jenin refugee camp.
בית שהותקף בידי צה"ל סמוך לג'נין, היום
צילום: השימוש נעשה לפי סעיף 27א' לחוק זכויות יוצרים pic.twitter.com/5CGjYCsm1Z
— הארץ חדשות (@haaretznewsvid) August 28, 2026
IDF troops and members of the police’s elite Yamam unit launched an operation to kill Bitawi, following information provided by the Shin Bet of his whereabouts.
After Bitawi and two of his accomplices were spotted exiting a car next to a structure in Jenin, the Israeli Air Force carried out a drone strike against them, killing the trio, according to the IDF.
בפעילות מיוחדת בהובלה מודיעינית של שב"כ, כוחות הביטחון חיסלו שלושה מחבלים בג׳נין בהם המחבל קייס ביטאוי, בכיר בהתארגנות הטרור בג׳נין לשעבר
לכל הפרטים????https://t.co/AXL5bhIPZA pic.twitter.com/QekHteFqqR
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 28, 2026
The military says troops later located a firearm inside the car.
Bitawi had acted to advance “significant terror activities and was involved in directing, financing, and carrying out attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces,” the military and Shin Bet say, adding that he also “maintained ties with Hamas in Gaza and Hamas abroad.”
The IDF adds that the slain commander is also a relative of Nour Bitawi, a previous commander of a terror network in Jenin, who was killed in an Israeli drone strike in May 2025.
#صور الشهيد القسامي "قيس البيطاوي" الذي ارتقى في قصف إسرائيلي لمنزل بمخيم جنين pic.twitter.com/rmo8mTKbJI
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) August 28, 2026
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