2 Palestinians were shot dead while surrendering in Jenin, with the Palestinian Authority condemning it as a “war crime” and Israel investigating.
JENIN: Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian men who appeared to be surrendering during a military operation in the occupied West Bank.
The incident occurred in Jenin, a northern West Bank stronghold of Palestinian armed groups, and was captured on video from multiple angles.
The Palestinian Authority identified the deceased as Yussef Ali Asa’sa, 37, and Al-Muntasir Billah Mahmud Abdullah, 26.
It condemned the killings as a “brutal” summary execution and labelled the incident a “war crime.”
Israel’s military and police announced they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the shootings.
Videos circulating online showed two men emerging from a building with their hands raised, surrounded by Israeli forces.
The men were directed back inside the building before gunshots were heard, after which they were seen lying on the ground.
AFP footage showed the men exiting then re-entering the building before the shooting occurred.
Troops were later filmed removing a body from the scene.
Photographs from the location showed a blood-soaked floor inside a building, with residents later clearing damaged materials.
In a joint statement, Israeli security forces said they had attempted to apprehend “wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities.”
They stated the suspects had been involved in “hurling explosives and firing at security forces.”
The forces said they “enclosed the structure” and “initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours.”
They confirmed that “following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects” and that the incident was under review.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir immediately backed the forces involved.
“I fully support the border guard members and Israeli army soldiers who shot at wanted terrorists,” he said on social media.
Ben Gvir declared that “terrorists must die” and said the forces “acted exactly as expected of them.”
The Palestinian foreign ministry strongly condemned what it called a “brutal field execution.”
It urged the international community to take “immediate action to stop the Israeli killing machine.”
Hamas described the incident as a “cold-blooded execution of two unarmed Palestinian youths.”
Israeli human rights group B’Tselem said the men were killed “while posing no threat.”
B’Tselem’s executive director Yuli Novak called it “the result of an accelerated process of dehumanisation of Palestinians.”
Violence in the West Bank has escalated significantly since Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel.
The unrest has continued despite a fragile truce coming into effect last month.
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the Gaza war began, according to AFP tallies.
At least 44 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or military operations during the same period. – AFP
