• Footage captures two men emerging with hands raised before being shot
• UN calls incident “apparent summary execution” and demands accountability
• Palestinian Islamic Jihad confirms both men were fighters in its military wing

JENIN, West Bank (TDR) — Israeli authorities said Friday they are reviewing the conduct of security forces who shot two members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad during a West Bank counterterrorism operation after video footage appeared to show the pair surrendering. The killings sparked international condemnation and accusations of extrajudicial execution.

Israel Reviews Jenin Shooting Amid Outcry

Images aired Thursday on Palestine TV showed two men exiting a building with their hands raised and lifting their shirts to demonstrate they were unarmed. The footage captured the men lying on the ground before being directed back inside the structure, where gunfire erupted moments later.

The Israel Defense Forces and police issued a joint statement confirming an investigation. They said the two individuals were wanted militants who had thrown explosive devices and fired at security forces before a “surrender procedure” lasting several hours.

“The incident is under review by the commanders on the ground, and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies.”

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The Justice Ministry’s Department for Internal Police Investigations opened a criminal probe into three Border Police officers from the elite Yamam counter-terrorism unit.

UN Condemns “Apparent Summary Execution”

The United Nations human rights office responded sharply Friday. Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence called the killings “yet another apparent summary execution” and said the office was “appalled by the brazen killing.”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk demanded independent investigations. The rights office noted that Israeli forces and settlers have killed 1,030 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 2023, with accountability remaining rare.

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The Palestinian Authority accused Israel of executing the men “in cold blood” and called the shooting “an outright extrajudicial killing in blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”

Islamic Jihad Confirms Fighters’ Identities

Palestinian authorities identified the dead as Al-Muntasir Abdullah, 26, and Youssef Asasa, 37. Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades confirmed both were members, identifying Asasa as a “field commander” and Abdullah as a fighter in the group’s Jenin wing.

The militant group said the men exchanged fire with Israeli forces until their ammunition ran out, after which they were “besieged and killed” in what it described as a “field execution.”

Ben-Gvir Backs Security Forces

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir voiced support for the officers involved. He posted that the fighters “acted exactly as expected of them” and declared that “terrorists must die.”

The UN’s Laurence said Ben-Gvir’s remarks should be “deplored,” adding that such statements raise “serious concerns about the credibility of any future review” conducted by entities not independent from the government.

Rights group B’Tselem called the killings the result of “an accelerated process of dehumanization of Palestinians.”

Will international pressure force meaningful accountability for security force conduct in the occupied territories?

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