Video footage has surfaced showing Israeli security forces shooting dead two Palestinians who appeared to have surrendered during an Israeli military operation in Jenin, located in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) labeled the incident a 'war crime,' condemning the actions as 'brutal' field executions.
According to the Israeli military and police, the men were wanted for being 'affiliated with a terror network,' and the incident is undergoing a review.
Israeli's far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir endorsed the officers involved, asserting that 'terrorists must die.'
Graphic videos show two Palestinian men exiting a building with their hands raised, kneeling on the ground, and one attempting to show he was unarmed. Despite these gestures of surrender, the border police opened fire, resulting in their deaths.
A joint statement from the Israeli forces stated that they were attempting to apprehend suspects linked to prior terror activities, including explosive assaults on security forces.
The recent raid in Jenin forms part of a broader campaign by Israel in the northern West Bank, aimed at tackling Palestinian armed groups purportedly responsible for attacks on Israelis. Violence has escalated in the region following the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, with the UN reporting over 1,000 Palestinian fatalities amid ongoing military operations.
This incident highlights the increasingly contentious atmosphere in the West Bank, raising serious questions about the rules of engagement and the humanitarian implications of military operations in civilian areas.
