UN slams IOF killings in Jenin raid as 'apparent summary execution'
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The UN says the Israeli forces' killing of two Palestinians in Jenin during a raid appears to be a "summary execution" and calls the act "abhorrent".
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Israeli soldiers aim their weapons during a military raid in the Palestinian West Bank city of Nablus, Thursday, November 20, 2025 (AP)
The UN human rights office has strongly condemned the killing of two Palestinians by Israeli occupation forces during a Jenin raid in the occupied West Bank, calling it an "apparent summary execution."
“We're appalled by the brazen killing by Israeli border police yesterday of two Palestinian men in Jenin in the occupied West Bank in yet another apparent summary execution,” UN spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said during a press briefing in Geneva on Friday.
Footage broadcast by Palestine TV shows the two Palestinians, unarmed and surrendering, before being fatally shot.
Exclusive footage for Palestine TV shows Israeli occupation forces executing two Palestinian youths in #Jenin, the occupied #WestBank.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 27, 2025
According to Palestinian authorities, Israeli occupation forces shot and killed two Palestinian youths from point-blank range in the Jabal Abu… pic.twitter.com/iJBok1vRTo
Palestinians appeared unarmed, surrendering: UN
The UN noted that the video evidence strongly suggests the men posed no immediate threat at the time they were executed. The two were reportedly emerging from a building when they were shot at close range by Israeli forces.
The incident has sparked renewed outrage and calls for accountability, amid a broader pattern of escalating violence across the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military and police issued a joint statement confirming that the shooting occurred during an operation targeting individuals allegedly affiliated with a “terror network” in Jenin. However, the statement did not provide evidence for this claim or specify the nature of the accusations.
An internal investigation into the incident has been launched, according to Israeli authorities.
Read more: IOF launch mass arrests in West Bank amid escalating aggression
Israeli officials defend deadly use of force
Despite growing international concern, Israeli officials have publicly backed the use of force. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli Police Minister, issued a statement voicing full support for the "Border Police" unit involved in the shooting.
“The fighters acted exactly as expected of them – terrorists should die!” he wrote on social media.
Ben-Gvir was given expanded authority over Israeli "Border Police" operations in the occupied West Bank in 2022.
Read more: West Bank farmers face mounting settler violence, harvest disruption
UN decries excessive force and inflammatory rhetoric
The UN human rights office condemned Ben-Gvir’s remarks, describing them as "deplorable" and "abhorrent".
“We heard those comments, and of course, they need to be deplored,” Laurence said. “Such a response in any situation involving brutal use of force is nothing short of abhorrent.”
The killings in Jenin add to a growing number of assaults in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces are accused of using excessive and unlawful lethal force, often without accountability.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that the impunity of Israeli forces in such cases is fueling a cycle of violence and deepening mistrust across the region.
Read more: E4 nations condemn surge in Israeli settler attacks in West Bank
