Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has said he "fully supports" the Israeli troops who shot two Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
"I fully support the border guard members and Israeli army soldiers who shot at wanted terrorists who emerged from a building in Jenin. The forces acted exactly as expected of them — terrorists must die!" Ben Gvir wrote on X.
The statement came as the Israeli army and police said they were reviewing the incident, after videos circulated on social media and were broadcast by Israeli and international outlets showing two men approaching Israeli forces with their hands raised before shots were fired and the men collapsed.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the incident as a "war crime" and a "brutal" summary execution.
In a joint statement, the Israeli military and police said the forces had been attempting to apprehend "wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces."
"The forces entered the area, enclosed the structure in which the suspects were located, and initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours. Following the use of engineering tools on the structure, the two suspects exited," the statement said.
"Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects. The incident is under review by the commanders on the ground, and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies."
The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the men as Yussef Ali Asa’sa, 37, and 26-year-old Al-Muntasir Billah Mahmud Abdullah, saying they were killed in the Jabal Abu Dhahir area of Jenin and that their bodies were being held by Israeli forces.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the incident as a "brutal field execution" and called on the international community to take "immediate action to stop the Israeli killing machine" and impose protection measures for Palestinians.
Hamas described the killings as a "cold-blooded execution of two unarmed Palestinian youths."
Israeli violence across the occupied West Bank has surged since October 2023, when the genocide in Gaza started.
