Israeli forces shoot dead two unarmed Palestinian men who had surrendered to them

ISRAELI OCCUPATION FORCES have shot dead two unarmed men who had surrendered to them in the West Bank in Palestine.

The killing of the two men, Yussef Ali Asa’sa (37) and Al-Muntasir Billah Mahmud Abdullah (26), has been condemned by the Palestinian Authority as a “war crime” and a “brutal” summary execution.

The Israeli army and police said today they were reviewing the incident, which took place in Jenin in the north of the West bank. 

Video footage of the executions circulating on social media and broadcast by television channels – including Israeli outlets – show two men emerging from a building with their hands raised.

The two men lift up their shirts to show they are unarmed. 

Israeli soldiers are seen kicking them while they are on the ground before ordering them back into the building, then shots ring out. 

Uncensored footage of the shooting was shared in a social media post by the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot, who called the killings “summary executions”. 

“This is a war crime and part of a pattern across the occupied territory. International statements of condemnation are not enough—criminals must be held accountable,” he said. 

Israel’s extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir swiftly backed the soldiers who opened fire, saying: “terrorists must die!”

In a joint statement, the Israeli military and police said they attempted to apprehend “wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces”.

“The forces entered the area, enclosed the structure in which the suspects were located, and initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours. Following the use of engineering tools on the structure, the two suspects exited.

“Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects.

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

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Irish MEP Barry Andrews said in a post on social media that “EU leaders must act”. 

He said the killings reflected “the daily reality of brutal Israeli occupation”.  

‘Brutal field execution’ 

They “were shot dead by Israeli forces in the Jabal Abu Dhahir area in the city of Jenin”, the Palestinian Authority health ministry said, adding that their bodies were being held by Israel.

The foreign ministry in Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is based, said it “strongly condemns the brutal field execution carried out by the Israeli occupation army against two Palestinian youths”, calling it a “deliberate Israeli war crime”.

It urged the international community to take “immediate action to stop the Israeli killing machine, deter these crimes, and impose urgent international protection mechanisms for the Palestinian people”.

Hamas called it a “cold-blooded execution of two unarmed Palestinian youths”.

Meanwhile, Ben Gvir offered his total backing to the Israeli forces involved.

“I fully support the border guard members and Israeli army soldiers who shot at wanted terrorists who emerged from a building in Jenin,” he said on X.

“The forces acted exactly as expected of them – terrorists must die!”

Israeli military and settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have surged since the Hamas-led attack of October 2023, which led to Israel’s genocidal war against the people of Gaza. 

With reporting from AFP 

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