Video footage from an Israeli military raid in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, has circulated widely, appearing to show Israeli Border Police officers summarily executing two unarmed Palestinian men who had surrendered. The incident, which occurred on Thursday evening, has been condemned by international and human rights bodies as an apparent war crime.
The video shows Israeli soldiers using a mechanical digger to breach a building, after which two men—later identified as Youssef Asasa, 37, and Mahmoud Abdallah, 26—crawl out on their hands and knees. The men held up their shirts to clearly demonstrate they were unarmed.
Uniformed Border Police officers then approach the detainees. One officer reportedly kicked the men while they were on the ground before ordering them to crawl back into the damaged building. Moments later, as the two victims reached the threshold of the building, multiple officers are seen raising their assault rifles and firing, causing the men to slump to the ground.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli Border Police issued a joint statement acknowledging the shooting during an operation to apprehend “wanted individuals” affiliated with a terror network. The statement claimed that “fire was directed toward the suspects” following their exit from the structure and stated the incident is “under review by the commanders on the ground and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies.”
The two deceased men were identified by the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which claimed them as fighters in its armed wing, the al-Quds Brigades. Asasa was named as a field commander.
The international response was immediate and sharp. Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, stated they were “appalled by the brazen killing” and called it “yet another apparent summary execution.” Israeli human rights group B’Tselem also condemned the act, with its executive director, Yuli Novak, calling it the result of the “accelerated process of dehumanisation of Palestinians.”
Despite the mounting international and legal scrutiny, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir publicly defended the actions of the troops. In his statement, Ben-Gvir declared he provides “full backing to border police members and IDF fighters” and asserted that the “fighters acted exactly as expected of them – terrorists must die.”
The killing of unarmed prisoners, even in conflict, is considered a war crime under international law. Human rights groups like B’Tselem have long argued that Israel’s military review processes are insufficient, noting they stopped cooperating in 2016, labeling the process a “whitewash.” The unit involved was reportedly the Border Police’s special forces group known as Yamas, which specializes in covert operations.
Sources:
- The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/28/video-shows-israeli-forces-shooting-palestinians-dead-moments-after-surrender
- CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-soldiers-execute-palestinian-men-surrender-west-bank-jenin-video-btselem/
- The Times of Israel: https://www.timesofisrael.com/two-palestinian-terror-suspects-shot-dead-in-jenin-after-surrendering-to-border-police/
- The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/11/28/palestinians-surrendering-killed-israel-west-bank/
- AP News: https://apnews.com/article/mideast-wars-israel-gaza-11-27-2025-7facef5a4a34f70fea8b2ea0b920002f