Israeli security forces shot dead two Palestinians in the West Bank on Thursday after they appeared to surrender, according to videos released by an international news agency and two Arab television networks.
The Israeli authorities said in a statement that they were examining the shooting and that the two men were involved in militant activity. Palestinian officials condemned the killings as a “field execution.”
The shooting came amid days of extensive Israeli military operations and raids in the Israeli-occupied northern West Bank. It prompted fresh accusations from Palestinian officials that Israel was using excessive force there.
Footage showed two men emerging from a garage in Jenin, who lift their shirts, appearing to indicate they are not carrying weapons and raise their hands into the air. They are seen kneeling, while Israeli security forces point their weapons at them.
The Israeli forces kick the men, who shuffle back toward the garage. Moments later, gunshots are fired and, shortly after, the body of one of the men can be seen slumped on the ground. In one of the clips reviewed, Israeli forces can be seen continuing to shoot into the garage.
In a joint statement, the Israeli military and police acknowledged that the Palestinians had been shot at, saying “fire was directed toward the suspects.” They said the shooting was being reviewed by commanders on the ground and transferred to the “relevant professional bodies.”
The statement also said that the two Palestinians had thrown explosives at security forces and opened fire on them.
Palestinian authorities in the West Bank said the two men were killed and identified them as Al-Muntasir Billah Abdullah, 26, and Yousef Asasa, 37.
Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant group, said Mr. Abdullah and Mr. Asasa were members of its military wing.
Israel’s far right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, offered his support for the security forces. “The fighters acted exactly as is expected from them — terrorists need to die!” he wrote on X.
The foreign ministry of the Palestinian Authority, the semiautonomous body that administers parts of the West Bank, condemned the killing as an “ugly field execution” and called on the international community to act.
“The ministry sees this crime as directly extending from an official, systematic, and widespread Israeli policy based on intentionally killing Palestinians outside the framework of the law,” the ministry said.
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom, said the killings were “part of a pattern across the occupied territory.”
B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, said the shootings were the result of “an accelerated process of dehumanization of Palestinians and the complete abandonment of their lives” by Israel.
Aritz Parra, Fatima AbdulKarim and Monika Cvorak contributed reporting.
Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.
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