Video footage from an Israeli military raid in the West Bank shows soldiers summarily executing two Palestinians moments after they surrendered. The incident occurred on Thursday evening in Jenin and is under review by Israel's Justice Ministry.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that two men were shot during a joint operation with the border police. Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed the men were fighters in its al-Quds Brigades, naming them as Youssef Asasa, 37, and Mahmoud Abdallah, 26.
The footage shows soldiers using a mechanical digger to breach a storage facility. Two men crawl out, surrender on their hands and knees, and lift their shirts to show they are unarmed. Border police officers then approach, kick the men, and order them back inside. Seconds later, as the men crawl toward the building, the officers raise their rifles and shoot them dead.
Far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir defended the killings, stating, 'Terrorists must die.' The UN human rights office expressed horror, calling it an 'apparent summary execution.' The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said the killings reflect a 'complete abandonment of Palestinian lives.'
Even in conflict, executing unarmed prisoners is a war crime. Israeli soldiers and police are rarely held accountable for killings of Palestinians, with B'Tselem ending cooperation with the military review process in 2016, calling it a 'whitewash.'
