Israeli drone strike kills three in Jenin, bodies withheld

The Israeli military carried out an airstrike in the West Bank on Monday, killing a Palestinian described as an armed operative along with two of his associates, in a rare use of lethal Israeli air power in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said three people were killed after being targeted by a drone in Jenin. The victims were identified as Qais Ibrahim Mohammed Al-Baytawi, 22, Basel Mohammed Ibrahim Turkman, 26, and Moamen Mohammed Fares Jaradat, 22. Their bodies are being withheld by Israeli forces.

An Israeli military drone targeted a building under construction, prompting several ambulances from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society to rush to the scene.

The Red Crescent reported that Israeli forces detained its crews in Jenin after they arrived at the site, later releasing them after confiscating medical equipment and ordering them to leave without allowing them to evacuate any of the dead or wounded.

Later, several Israeli military vehicles entered the area and deployed around the targeted building, as Israeli forces spread out across several neighborhoods in Jenin.

According to the Wafa news agency, local sources reported Israeli forces deployed in the Al-Harsh area, around the Al-Amir Hall, Khoruba, and the Jabariyat area near the Al-Sabbarini family home, as well as the Al-Badiya area, with military vehicles moving on several fronts and a tense, cautious atmosphere among residents.