Israel launched an airstrike in the West Bank, removing the commander of an armed group

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted an airstrike on the armed group’s `command center` in the city of Jenin, in the West Bank, on May 17 and killed Islam Khamaysa, a senior member of Islamic Jihad.

The IDF said Khamaysa is `most wanted` because of his involvement in many attacks in the area, including the murder of Israeli citizens in May 2023.

Al Quds Brigade, PIJ’s military wing, confirmed Islam Khamaysa was killed on May 17 and described him as the commander of the Jenin Brigade.

Israel takes command of Hamas’s brigade in the West Bank

Images of the airstrike on May 17 in Jenin, West Bank.

`Many gunmen with important roles were present in the target building. Some members of the group had been involved in shootings in the Jenin area and were planning to attack in the near future,` the IDF said.

According to a statement from the IDF, this is a coordinated operation with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), mobilizing a fighter and a military helicopter.

PIJ is present in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Palestinian refugee areas in Lebanon and Jordan.

The PIJ’s armed wing is the al-Quds Brigade, named after the Arabic name for Jerusalem.

This force, along with Hamas gunmen, participated in an attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023 and unilaterally launched a rocket attack campaign on Israel in 2022.

The Israeli army arrested a Palestinian man during a raid on the Al-Amari refugee camp near Ramallah, West Bank on March 4.

Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war. Israel withdrew troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005, but still controls the West Bank, where more than half a million Israelis live in enclaves.

The Palestinians claim those territories as part of their future independent state.

Since the events of October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing more than 1,100 people, the IDF has increased security operations in the West Bank.

According to the Palestinian health authority in the West Bank, more than 450 Palestinians in the area have died in the past six months due to IDF siege operations.

Location of Jenin in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel.