The person responsible for Hamas activity in the Jenin refugee camp has been eliminated
The IDF and the Shin Bet eliminated in an airstrike Qais Bitawi, a senior Hamas official in Jenin. Bitawi was responsible for the terrorist organization's activity in the city's refugee camp and planned attacks. Two accomplices who were with him were also eliminated in the strike.
Security forces eliminated today, Friday, in a special operation in Jenin, Qais Bitawi, a senior member of the terrorist organization and the person responsible for local Hamas activity in the refugee camp. In a joint operation by the IDF, the Shin Bet, and the YAMAM, conducted under the leadership of the Menashe Brigade, an Air Force aircraft struck and eliminated Bitawi and two other accomplices who were with him.
Bitawi previously served as the person responsible for local Hamas activity in the Jenin refugee camp, an activity that was dismantled during Operation Iron Wall. He was also part of the 'Katiba' that was dismantled over the last year as part of the same operation. According to the IDF and Shin Bet statement, he worked to promote numerous terrorist activities and was involved in directing, financing, and carrying out attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces. In addition, Bitawi maintained ties with Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip and abroad.
Bitawi was a key wanted person, and several attempts were made to arrest him in the past. Since the dismantling of the terrorist organizations in Jenin during Operation Iron Wall, Bitawi continued to promote terrorist plots. Among other things, he commanded a terrorist cell from the village of Qabatiya. He also directed the explosive device attack in July 2024 at the Gilboa seam zone, in which two Ministry of Defense employees were wounded.
An aircraft struck the terrorists while they were outside their vehicle at the entrance to a building under construction. After the elimination, security forces found a weapon inside the vehicle used by the cell. Parallel to the airstrike, large forces of the IDF and YAMAM operated in Jenin based on intelligence from the Shin Bet and Aman. The terrorists were eliminated in a targeted strike by UAV unit fighters. The decision to strike from the air was made following intelligence that the terrorists were armed. After the strike, fighters of the 50th Battalion confiscated an M16 rifle found near the terrorists.
The elimination was carried out after extensive intelligence efforts led by the Shin Bet and Aman. Security forces arrested dozens of suspects and interrogated accomplices who were in contact with Bitawi. The operation was part of a broad effort under the command of the Menashe Brigade, with the participation of the Air Force, YAMAM, the Shin Bet, the Duvdevan unit, the 636th Battalion, and the 50th Battalion.
Bitawi was a relative of Nur Bitawi, who served as a commander of an Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in Jenin and was eliminated by security forces in May 2025 in the heart of Nablus. Today's airstrike follows previous IDF actions in the sector. The last strike in the Menashe Brigade area took place in October 2025 in the village of Kufeir.
