Israeli forces execute two Palestinian men who had surrendered

Israeli security forces shot and killed two Palestinian men in Jenin on November 27, as reported by Reuters, an incident captured in Palestine TV footage that appears to show the pair surrendering before being fired upon.

The images and eyewitness testimony have triggered sharp criticism and renewed questions about Israeli conduct during ongoing operations in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The footage shows the men stepping out of a building surrounded by armed Israeli personnel. They lift their shirts and lie face-down on the ground, seemingly complying with orders. The forces then direct the men back toward the building.

Moments later, gunfire is heard. A Reuters journalist positioned nearby reported seeing the men surrender and later observed Israeli forces standing beside what appeared to be a lifeless body.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the dead as 26-year-old Montasir Abdullah and 37-year-old Yusuf Asasa, stating both had been fatally shot.

In a joint statement, the Israeli military and police confirmed they had launched an investigation after forces “opened fire toward suspects who had exited a building,” although the statement did not clarify why the shooting occurred or acknowledge the apparent surrender seen in the footage.

Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub condemned the incident, calling it a “cold-blooded execution” and insisting the men were unarmed and had already yielded to the soldiers. He said those responsible should be held accountable but expressed doubt that any investigation by Israeli authorities would be genuine.

Israeli forces said they had been carrying out an operation targeting individuals accused of “terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces.”

The two men, according to the statement, were wanted figures linked to a “terror network” in Jenin, though officials did not specify the allegations or provide evidence. Authorities described a “surrender procedure” that reportedly lasted several hours before the men exited the building.

In the aftermath, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir voiced strong support for the Israeli forces involved, saying the “fighters acted exactly as expected of them” and that “Terrorists should die”.

Until the bill is passed that would reinstate the death penalty, exclusively for Palestinians, the Israeli settler-colonial regime will have to settle for summary executions like the incident in Jenin on November 27.

The raid is part of a broader months-long Israeli campaign across northern West Bank cities, including an operation launched in Tubas on November 26. Hamas condemned the deaths as an “execution” and urged international intervention, though it did not claim the men as members.

Reuters, Maghrebi.org