Israeli Forces Kill Two Palestinian Men in West Bank as they Attempt to Surrender

Jenin, West Bank – November 27, 2025

In a disturbing incident that has ignited international outrage and calls for accountability, Israeli security forces fatally shot two Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank on Thursday after they appeared to have surrendered during a military raid. The killings, captured on video and widely circulated on social media, have been condemned by Palestinian officials as a "cold-blooded execution," while Israeli authorities have launched an internal review but stopped short of immediate disciplinary action.

The confrontation unfolded in the northern city of Jenin, a hotspot of longstanding tensions between Palestinian residents and Israeli troops. According to eyewitness accounts and footage broadcast by Palestine TV and Egyptian outlet Al-Ghad, the two men—identified by the Palestinian Health Ministry as 26-year-old Montasir Abdullah and 37-year-old Yusuf Asasa—emerged from a building with their hands raised high above their heads. They lifted their shirts to demonstrate they were unarmed, then lay prone on the ground in a clear gesture of submission, surrounded by a contingent of Israeli border guards.

Moments later, the video shows the men being directed back toward the structure before gunfire erupts at close range. A Reuters journalist on the scene reported hearing shots and subsequently observing Israeli forces standing near what appeared to be a lifeless body. The Palestinian Authority's General Authority for Civil Affairs confirmed the deaths, describing the event as a "brutal field execution" in violation of international humanitarian law.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Police issued a joint statement acknowledging the operation, which targeted "wanted suspects affiliated with a terror network" accused of hurling explosives and firing at security personnel earlier in the raid. "The forces entered the area, enclosed the structure, and initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours," the statement read. "Following the use of engineering tools on the structure, the two suspects exited. Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects."

The military emphasized that the incident is "under review by the commanders on the ground" and will be forwarded to "the relevant professional bodies" for further investigation. However, critics, including human rights organizations and Palestinian advocates, expressed deep skepticism about the probe's potential outcomes. "Such investigations yield few results, and Israeli troops are rarely prosecuted," noted a spokesperson for B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group monitoring the conflict.

Adding fuel to the fire, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir swiftly voiced unequivocal support for the forces involved. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ben-Gvir declared, "The fighters acted exactly as expected of them—terrorists must die," framing the men as militants who posed an ongoing threat. His comments drew sharp rebukes from Palestinian leaders and international observers, who argued they undermine any pretense of impartiality in the review process.

Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub decried the killings as a "shocking crime" carried out "in front of the cameras," urging the international community to intervene. Hamas, the militant group that governs Gaza, echoed the sentiment in a statement condemning the "escalating executions in the field" and calling for global action to halt such incidents. Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti went further on X, labeling it "an outright extrajudicial killing."

This deadly raid is part of a broader Israeli military campaign in the northern West Bank, launched in recent months to dismantle what the IDF describes as "terrorist strongholds and infrastructure." The operation in Jenin follows a similar sweep in the nearby city of Tubas on Wednesday, where over 220 sites were searched and several suspects arrested. Just last week, on November 19, Palestinian attackers in the region stabbed one Israeli to death and wounded three others before being neutralized by troops—a cycle of violence that has claimed hundreds of lives on both sides.

Since October 2023, the United Nations reports that Israeli troops and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, including militants and civilians. The escalation coincides with a surge in settler violence, often occurring under the shadow of military presence, with perpetrators rarely facing punishment. Palestinian communities, meanwhile, continue to grapple with frequent raids, home demolitions, and restrictions on movement, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in the territory.

As the video footage spreads rapidly online—garnering millions of views and sparking protests in Ramallah and beyond—the international community watches closely. Rights groups have demanded an independent probe, while the European Union and United Nations officials issued statements expressing "grave concern" over the apparent breach of surrender protocols under the Geneva Conventions. 17GEN4