The Israeli military has confirmed an airstrike near the West Bank town of Jenin on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of three militants. Local security officials noted this was the first such strike in the Palestinian territory in several months.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas, acknowledged the fatalities, stating that “sniper fire and aerial bombardment” were responsible. However, they did not specify if the deceased were members of their group.
This latest military action in the Israeli-occupied West Bank occurs amidst ongoing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, particularly since the Gaza Strip cease-fire three weeks prior. That agreement has been repeatedly tested by outbreaks of violence and persistent challenges in exchanging deceased captives between Israel and Hamas.
Adding to the volatile situation, the Israeli-occupied West Bank has witnessed unprecedented levels of Israeli settler violence. This trend, which was already on the rise before the conflict in Gaza, has now become a frequent occurrence.
Accounts of Tuesday’s strike were contradictory. Israel labeled it a counterterrorism operation, asserting its military killed the men in a cave near Kafr Qud village. Conversely, Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed the strike targeted a house in a residential area.
The Israeli military has yet to address the discrepancies between these reports. Officials from the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, confirmed this was the first airstrike in the territory since February 8.
The West Bank and East Jerusalem are home to approximately three million Palestinians, alongside around 700,000 Jewish settlers residing in settlements widely considered illegal by the international community.
In the first half of this year alone, extremist settlers conducted over 750 assaults on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, averaging nearly 130 attacks per month. This marks the highest monthly average since the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs began documenting such incidents in 2006.
The Israeli government, which includes prominent settler activists, has increasingly moved to solidify its control over the West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza war.
Despite calls from political allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex all or part of the territory, the Trump administration recently reiterated its opposition to such annexation.
Fatima AbdulKarim contributed to this report.