Shocking video footage has emerged appearing to show Israeli forces summarily executing two Palestinian men in the West Bank city of Jenin, moments after the individuals had surrendered.
The Jenin Incident: A Detailed Account
The video, which circulated widely in Israeli and Arab media on Thursday, initially shows Israeli soldiers, including members of the border police, surrounding what appears to be a storage facility. The troops used a mechanical digger to breach the garage-style door of the building.
Following the breach, two men are seen crawling out from under the damaged door on their hands and knees. In a clear act of surrender, the men held up their shirts to demonstrate they were unarmed.
Uniformed officers, identified by Israeli media as border police, then approached the two men. One officer, described as bald-headed and bearded and not wearing a helmet, appears to take charge. The footage shows this officer kicking the men while they are on the ground before ordering them to crawl back towards the damaged building.
Execution and Immediate Aftermath
A few seconds later, as the two detainees were crawling away from their captors and had reached the threshold of the building, the five border police officers visible at the scene raised their assault rifles and opened fire. Both men immediately slumped to the ground.
The shooting was also witnessed by journalists close to the scene. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement confirming the incident, stating it occurred during a joint operation with the border police around Jenin.
The IDF said the forces were operating to "apprehend wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces." The statement detailed that a surrender procedure lasted several hours before engineering tools were used on the structure. "Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects," the statement read, adding that the incident is under review.
Political Reactions and Human Rights Condemnation
In stark contrast to the military's promise of a review, Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, vehemently defended the killings. Ben-Gvir, who was convicted in 2007 of incitement to racism and supporting a terrorist organisation, issued a statement providing "full backing" to the officers.
"The fighters acted exactly as expected of them – terrorists must die," Ben-Gvir declared.
Human rights groups responded with outrage. Yuli Novak, executive director of B'Tselem, stated, "The execution documented today is the result of an accelerated process of dehumanisation of Palestinians and the complete abandonment of their lives by the Israeli regime." Novak further emphasised that in Israel, there is no effective mechanism to stop the killing of Palestinians or prosecute those responsible.
B'Tselem ceased cooperating with the Israeli military's review process in 2016, labelling it a "whitewash." Israeli security forces are rarely held accountable for the deaths of Palestinians, despite numerous allegations over the years. What sets this incident apart is the stark and unambiguous nature of the video evidence.
