Outrage after video shows Israeli soldiers shooting two Palestinians at point-blank range mid-surrender

Two Palestinians were shot dead in Jenin during a joint operation by the Israeli military and Israeli police.

The scene was filmed from several angles, including by an AFP journalist. It shows two men coming out of a building, appearing to be surrendering, with their hands up in the air after a bulldozer had crushed the door.

The two men lifted their shirts to show they are unarmed, before being beaten by Israeli soldiers. They were then seen lying on the ground before being directed back inside the building.

AFP footage showed the two men exiting the building then entering it again before the shorts were fired. A building between the camera and the scene partially obscured the image.

Gunshots rang out and the two men were seen lying on the ground. Troops were later seen removing a body.

These images were widely shared on social media, sparking outcry, with many online denouncing the "impunity" of the Israeli army.

The Palestinian Authority identified the Palestinians killed as Montasser Billah Mahmoud Abdullah, 26, and Youssef Ali Assassa, 37, and denounced the incident as a "summary execution" and accused Israeli forces of a "documented and complete war crime."

AFP pictures from the scene showed the blood-soaked floor of a building. People helped to clear up the damaged site afterwards, moving sheets of corrugated metal.

In a joint statement, the Israeli military and the police — which oversees the border guard unit — said they attempted to apprehend "wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces."

They said they "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."

'Brutal field execution'

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.

The Palestinian Authority's Health Ministry said the two men were "shot dead by Israeli forces in the Jabal Abu Dhahir area in the city of Jenin," adding that their bodies were being held by Israeli forces.

The foreign ministry in Ramallah 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."

The Palestinian militant group Hamas called it a "cold-blooded execution of two unarmed Palestinian youths."

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

'Dehumanization'

Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said the two men were killed "while posing no threat."

"The execution documented today is the result of an accelerated process of dehumanization of Palestinians and the complete abandonment of their lives by the Israeli regime," said B'Tselem's executive director Yuli Novak.

Violence in the occupied West Bank has soared since Palestinian militant group Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.

It has not ceased despite the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas coming into effect last month.

Israeli troops or settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures.

At least 44 Israelis, including both soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to official Israeli figures.