Two senior Hamas operatives were killed in an Israeli drone strike in the West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday evening, according to a joint statement from the IDF and Shin Bet security agency.
The strike targeted a car carrying Ahmed Abu Ara and Raafat Dawasi, two high-ranking members of Hamas, who were reportedly involved in planning a deadly shooting attack in the Jordan Valley last week. That attack claimed the life of 23-year-old Yonatan Deutsch and left another civilian wounded.
Abu Ara, hailing from Aqqaba, had a history of participating in terror attacks and was known for his role in manufacturing explosive devices for Hamas. Dawasi, from Silat al-Harithiya, was a senior figure in a Hamas terror network operating in Jenin.
Hamas confirmed the identities of the two men, stating that Dawasi served as a commander in Jenin, while Abu Ara was a senior operative. The group also claimed that they were involved in several attacks beyond last Sunday’s shooting, including a deadly roadside bombing in Jenin on June 27 and another bombing targeting Defense Ministry workers on July 23.
In an unusual move, the IDF and Shin Bet named a detained Palestinian terror suspect, Yassin Ghanem, who reportedly revealed the involvement of Abu Ara and Dawasi in the Jordan Valley shooting.
The IDF released footage of the drone strike, showing the moment the car was hit from multiple angles. In one clip, the explosion is seen from a dashboard camera of a vehicle following the target, capturing the intense moment when the targeted car burst into flames.
Since October 7, the IDF has conducted over 60 airstrikes in the West Bank, utilizing drones, attack helicopters, and fighter jets. During this period, Israeli forces have arrested approximately 4,850 Palestinians across the West Bank, with over 1,960 of them being affiliated with Hamas.
According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 630 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed during this time. The IDF asserts that the majority were either gunmen involved in firefights, rioters clashing with troops, or terrorists carrying out attacks.
In the same timeframe, 26 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank, with another five members of the security forces losing their lives in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.