Israeli forces appear to kill two unarmed Palestinians in West Bank raid
He said those who opened fire should face accountability, but expressed doubt that Israeli authorities would conduct a genuine investigation.
In Ramallah, the Palestinian prime minister’s office accused Israel of executing the men “in cold blood”. It called the shooting “an outright extrajudicial killing in blatant violation of international humanitarian law”.
Israeli forces had been carrying out an operation in the Jenin area to apprehend individuals wanted for “terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces”, the Israeli military and police said in the joint statement.
The two men who were shot were wanted individuals who were affiliated with a “terror network in the area of Jenin”, the statement said. It did not specify what the two men were accused of nor disclose any evidence of their alleged link with a terrorist network.
According to the military and police, security forces had surrounded the building where the men were located before initiating a “surrender procedure” that lasted for several hours.
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“Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects,” the statement said, adding that the shooting was “under review by the commanders on the ground, and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies”.
The incident was reminiscent of the case of Elor Azaria — a soldier convicted of manslaughter in 2017 for fatally shooting an already wounded Palestinian attacker. That case deeply divided the nation, with nationalistic politicians defending the soldier. Azaria was released early from prison after serving a nine-month sentence.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir later issued a statement giving his “full backing” to the military and the police unit that was involved in Thursday’s shooting.
“The fighters acted exactly as expected of them – terrorists should die!” he wrote on X.
Palestinian militant group Hamas, which agreed to a ceasefire with Israel in Gaza last month, condemned the killing of the men in Jenin as an “execution” and urged the international community to intervene to stop what it called Israel’s “escalating field executions”.
The Jenin raid marks the latest assault in a months-long Israeli campaign across northern West Bank cities. Israeli forces on Wednesday launched an operation on the nearby city of Tubas.
Israel’s military has detained more than 100 people in Tubas since Tuesday, according to Abdullah al-Zaghari, spokesman for the advocacy group Palestinian Prisoners’ Club.
The military has said the operation was a response to “attempts to establish terrorist strongholds and construction of terror infrastructures in the area”.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Ibrahim – an American teenager who was arrested visiting family in the West Bank and held in Israeli custody for nine months – was released on Thursday evening. He immediately checked into a hospital, his uncle Zeyad Kadur said.
Visibly thin, head shaven and still in a grey jumpsuit, Ibrahim wiped tears away as he was embraced by family members shortly after his release in videos taken by the family. His father, Zaher Ibrahim, kissed his son and began to cry.
“He’s skinny and pale, his eyes are sunken in and he still has signs of scabies,” the uncle said.
The teen was arrested at his family’s home at night for allegedly throwing rocks at Israeli settlers in the West Bank, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations and several members of Congress.
In an affidavit, Mohammed said he only confessed to stone-throwing after he was threatened by interrogators with a beating.
