Israeli forces appear to kill two unarmed Palestinians in West Bank raid
He said those who opened fire should be held accountable, but expressed doubt that Israeli authorities would conduct a real investigation.
In Ramallah, the Palestinian prime minister’s office accused Israel of executing the men “in cold blood”. The statement stated that the attack was “an extrajudicial killing in clear violation of international humanitarian law.”
Israeli forces carried out an operation in the Jenin area to capture individuals wanted for “terrorist activities, including throwing explosives and opening fire on security forces”, the Israeli army and police said in a joint statement.
In the statement, it was stated that the two people who were shot were wanted people in connection with the “terrorist network in the Jenin region”. It did not specify what the two men were charged with and did not disclose any evidence of their alleged links to the terrorist network.
Security forces surrounded the building where the men were before initiating a “surrender procedure” that lasted several hours, according to the military and police.
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In the statement, it was stated that “the suspects were opened fire upon after their exit” and that the attack was “investigated by the commanders on the ground and will be reported to the relevant professional organizations.”
The incident was reminiscent of that of Elor Azaria, a soldier convicted of manslaughter in 2017 for fatally shooting an already wounded Palestinian attacker. This case deeply divided the country, with a military defense by nationalist politicians. 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 “full support” to the army and police unit involved in Thursday’s attack.
“The fighters behaved exactly as they were expected to; the terrorists must die!” He wrote to X.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that reached an agreement with Israel on a ceasefire in Gaza last month, condemned the killing of the men in Jenin as an “execution” and called on the international community to intervene to stop what it called Israel’s “escalating number of field executions.”
The Jenin raid marks the latest offensive in Israel’s months-long campaign in cities in the northern West Bank. Israeli forces launched an operation in the nearby city of Tubas on Wednesday.
According to Abdullah al-Zaghari, spokesman for the Palestinian Prisoners Club, the Israeli army has detained more than 100 people in Tubas since Tuesday.
The military said the operation was in response to “attempts to establish terrorist strongholds and build terrorist infrastructures in the region.”
Meanwhile, American teenager Mohammed Ibrahim, who was arrested while visiting his family in the West Bank and held in Israeli custody for nine months, was released on Thursday evening. His uncle, Zeyad Kadur, said he was immediately taken to the hospital.
Visibly thin, with a shaved head and still wearing gray overalls, Ibrahim wiped away tears as he was embraced by family members in videos taken by his family shortly after his release. His father, Zaher Ibrahim, kissed his son and started crying.
“He is thin and pale, his eyes are sunken, and he still has signs of scabies,” the uncle said.
The teenager was arrested at his family’s home overnight 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 his affidavit, Mohammed said he only confessed to throwing stones after interrogators threatened him with a beating.
