Jenin,West Bank – Israeli border police and soldiers shot and killed two palestinians in Jenin,in โขthe occupied West Bank,on Friday,sparking international calls for investigation. The incident,which appears to show the men being shot after surrendering,has been condemned as a potential “summary execution” by the Office of theโ UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Israeli โarmy and police stated they were conducting a joint operation to arrest two individuals suspected of “terrorist acts,” including throwing explosivesโฃ and shooting at security โคforces. According to the army, shots were fired at the โขsuspects after they โexited the building where they were cornered, andโข the incident is under investigation.
Preliminary โคfindings reported by the left-wing Israeli newspaper โ Haaretz, citing a sourceโ within the border guards, suggest โone of the men killedโข attempted toโ stand up from the groundโ and made a “suspicious movement,” leading police and soldiers to open fire.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right figure, voiced hisโค “full support” for the โsoldiers and border guards involved, stating, “Terrorists must die!” on his X account.
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas denounced the killings as a “cold-blooded execution.”โ
Human rights organization โB’Tselem described theโค shooting as the result of “an accelerated process of โdehumanization ofโฃ Palestinians” and called on the international community to โhold Israel accountable.
Violence in the West Bank has escalatedโ since the start of the Gaza war, which began โคwith a Hamas attackโฃ on southern Israel on โขOctober 7, 2023, and has continued despite the truce in Gaza since October 10. The โIsraeli army launched โa new operation againstโ Palestinian armed groups โin the northern West bank on Wednesday.
