Video from Jenin in the occupied West Bank shows Israeli border police shooting and killing two Palestinian men who had emerged from a building with their hands raised and appeared to surrender during an ongoing military raid, drawing widespread accusations of a war crime.

Two men, identified by Israeli forces as Mahmoud Qassem Abdallah, 26, and Youssef Asasa, 37, were captured on video surrounded by armed officers. The footage shows them on their knees, lifting their shirts to demonstrate they were unarmed before being directed back toward a building, where they were subsequently shot. The video, shared by the organization Breaking the Silence, described the incident as the execution of “two Palestinians in Jenin after surrendering,” labeling such acts as routine.

The Palestinian Authority strongly denounced the shootings, calling them a “deliberate Israeli war crime” and an “extrajudicial killing in clear violation of international humanitarian law.” The authority accused Israeli forces of executing “two young Palestinians in Jenin in cold blood” even after they had surrendered.

In contrast, Israeli officials offered a different narrative. A joint statement from the Israel Defense Forces and police described the men as “wanted individuals” involved in “terror activities, including throwing explosives and firing at security forces.” They claimed that troops had “surrounded the structure” and engaged in a “surrender procedure that lasted several hours” before the men emerged.

According to ZeroHedge’s report of Israeli Army Radio, officers on the scene later claimed uncertainty about whether the men were armed or carried explosives. They alleged that the men “acted contrary to the instructions they received” with one reportedly attempting to reenter the building, prompting the shooting. Another officer noted a “suspicious movement” by one of the men on the ground, which allegedly triggered the gunfire.

Haaretz journalist Nir Hasson dismissed the justification, declaring, “there is no universe in which this is not murder.” Meanwhile, an unnamed source cited by the outlet suggested that the shooting was provoked by a “suspicious movement” from one of the men.

Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, expressed his support for the forces involved, stating, “I fully back the border police and IDF troops,” and emphasized that “terrorists have to die.” In response to the incident, IDF Chief of Staff Gen. Eyal Zamir has initiated an internal investigation. The military announced that the incident is “under review” and will be “handed over to the relevant professional bodies” for further examination.

The 2nd video shows after they told them to go back inside is when they shot them,… pic.twitter.com/8ird7uKpbc

— WayneTech SPFX®️ (@WayneTechSPFX) November 28, 2025

Israeli officials offered a different account, with a joint Israel Defense Forces and police statement claiming the pair were “wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces,” and that troops had “enclosed the structure” and conducted a “surrender procedure that lasted several hours” before the men exited.​

According to ZeroHedge’s summary of Israeli Army Radio reporting, officers at the scene later insisted they did not know if the men were carrying weapons or explosives and said the two “acted contrary to the instructions they received,” alleging one tried to reenter the building and the other followed, prompting the shooting.

Haaretz correspondent Nir Hasson sharply rejected that justification, saying “there is no universe in which this is not murder,” while another source cited by the outlet claimed one of the men made a “suspicious movement” while on the ground before fighters opened fire.​

Israeli colonial soldiers murdering two unarmed Palestinians at point blank range after they surrendered. pic.twitter.com/x4TK5uPvib

— Alexi Murdoch 🦋🌘 (@aleximurdoch) November 28, 2025

Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir publicly backed the shooters, writing that he was “lending full backing to the border police and IDF troops” and declaring that the forces “acted precisely as is expected of them – terrorists have to die.” IDF chief of staff Gen. Eyal Zamir has ordered an internal investigation, and the military says the incident is “under review” and will be “transferred to the relevant professional bodies.”​

The footage has triggered outrage far beyond Palestinian circles. Commenting on the clip, broadcaster Piers Morgan wrote that “this is a war crime, and makes a mockery of those who claim the IDF is ‘the most moral army in the world.’ Moral armies don’t execute people when they surrender like this.”

The Jenin raid comes amid a months-long Israeli campaign across northern West Bank cities that Israel says targets armed groups behind attacks on soldiers and settlers, part of a surge of West Bank violence since Hamas’s October 2023 assault and the subsequent war in Gaza.​