Israel executes two unarmed Palestinians after they surrendered

Video footage has captured Israel’s occupation forces (IOF) executing two unarmed Palestinians at point blank range, after they had surrendered and lifted up their shirts, proving they are not a threat.

‘Israel’ believes labelling Palestinians as “terrorists” allows it to violate international law

Yesterday, November 27, the colonial Israeli army brutally beat the two men, Muntaser Abdullah and Yusuf Ali Asasa. They were then fatally shot, in cold blood. The men were in the Jabal Abu Dhahr area of Jenin, in the Northern occupied West Bank. The IOF is withholding both bodies.

The IOF and the occupation’s police released a joint statement about the murder of the two men.

They said:

the wanted individuals were affiliated with a terror network in the area of Jenin.

This familiar excuse is used by the Israeli regime, to carry out every war crime against unarmed Palestinian civilians, whether in Gaza or the West Bank. The accusations always come with no evidence whatsoever.

The murder was caught on camera this time, but ‘Israel’ commits crimes like this against Palestinians every day in occupied Palestine. The only difference is that many go unheard and unseen by the public.

Ben Gvir: occupation ‘acted exactly as expected of them’

The Government Communication Centre in the West Bank called it:

an outright extrajudicial killing in blatant violation of international humanitarian law

Far-right extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has taken to social media. He has praised the military, saying he “provides full backing to the Border Guard fighters and IDF soldiers” who directly fired at the two Palestinians who emerged from a building in Jenin. According to Ben Gvir, the Israeli occupation troops “acted exactly as expected of them”.

Abdullah Al-Zighari, head of the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said the two men were former prisoners who had previously been arrested by the IOF. Muntaser was the brother of Khaled Abdullah, from Jenin refugee camp, who died in ‘Israel’s’ Megiddo Prison in February. Khaled had been held under administrative detention, without trial or charge, for more than 15 months. He was in good health when first detained.

Al-Zighari described the execution as a war crime and a crime against humanity.

He said:

This crime is part of a systematic and escalating policy of executions carried out by the occupation forces, which coincides with legislative efforts in the occupying state to pass a law allowing the implementation of the death penalty against Palestinian prisoners.

‘Israel’ has systematically committed these crimes for decades

Al-Zighari stressed that these practices confirm Israeli occupation authorities do not need any additional legislative framework to carry out killings. Assassinations, field executions, and slow death inside prisons are violations that have been systematically committed for decades. But since October 2023, they have become even more common.

Military aggression by the zionist regime is ongoing in Jenin and the surrounding area. Operation Iron Wall was launched in January and completely emptied the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps, forcibly displacing 32,000 residents. Even though the destruction was immense, the Israeli occupation continues to order demolitions. According to the IOF, it is preparing to demolish 24 buildings in the Jenin refugee camp on November 28. The demolitions, it says, are “required in accordance with a clear and necessary operational need“.

In February there was a controlled demolition of more than 20 buildings in Jenin Camp. More than 190 buildings were also issued with demolition orders there in March and June. The real reason behind these actions is nothing more than ethnic cleansing and collective punishment.

Roland Friedrich, Director of UNRWA Affairs for the West Bank and East Jerusalem, posted on X about the demolitions:

This systematic destruction goes against the basic principles of international law, and only serves to tighten the control of Israeli security forces over the camps in the long term. The camps need to be rebuilt – not further destroyed – and their residents allowed to return and restore their lives.

They must not be trapped in interminable displacement.

Also in Jenin yesterday: IOF shot two children

In Jenin yesterday, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society treated two children shot in the thigh by the IOF. Medical crews also transported to hospital a 23 year old man from Jenin who was badly beaten by the IOF.

Under international humanitarian law the killing of any fighter, including a resistance fighter is strictly prohibited if they are not in combat. If they are no longer participating in hostilities, have laid down their arms, or surrendered, the killing becomes a crime. 

These violations of international law are carried out on a daily basis by ‘Israel’. It acts with impunity, knowing governments around the world have chosen not to act. Today there is global outrage over this video, but tomorrow it will sadly be forgotten.

Featured image via the Canary