Video shows Israeli soldiers shooting two unarmed Palestinians at close range in Jenin

JENIN: Recent footage from Palestine National TV shows Israeli soldiers executing two detained Palestinians in cold blood during a raid in Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank, on Thursday.

Their hands were raised, and they posed no threat, yet Israeli soldiers killed them anyway.

Israeli forces were accused by the Palestinian Authority (PA) of committing “brutal” field executions and a “war crime” following the recent killings.

The Israeli military and police, following the fatal shooting of the men, stated they were wanted and linked to a terror network, adding that the incident is under review.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has given his full backing to the officers involved in the incident.

The video shows two Palestinian men leaving a building entrance with their hands up. Several Israeli border guards surround them. They then kneel on the ground. One of them raises his t-shirt, seemingly to show that he is not armed.

After a moment, they appear to be ordered to head back into the building, but the Border Police then open fire and instantly gun them down.

“The forces entered the area, enclosed the structure in which the suspects were located, and initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours,” the Israeli forces statement said.

“Following the use of engineering tools on the structure, the two suspects exited. Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects.”

On his X account, Ben-Gvir, the far-right minister, wrote, “The fighters acted exactly as expected of them.”

Violence in the West Bank has escalated significantly since the devastating Israeli military campaign in Gaza began following the Hamas retaliatory attack on southern Israel in October 2023.

The recent raid in Jenin is part of a months-long Israeli operation in northern West Bank cities, which Israel claims is necessary to combat Palestinian armed groups allegedly responsible for attacks on Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers. This campaign included an operation launched in the nearby city of Tubas on Wednesday.

Since the start of the conflict, the United Nations reports that Israeli troops or settlers have killed over 1,000 Palestinians, including both armed group members and civilians, in the West Bank.