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Israeli Army Radio said the Military Police have opened an investigation into three soldiers from the undercover Mista’arvim unit over alleged unlawful gunfire that killed two Palestinians in Jenin, after initial findings indicated the men were unarmed and attempting to surrender.
Israeli news site Walla quoted military sources as saying that “the initial investigation confirms that the two Palestinians killed in Jenin had emerged from the building unarmed with the intention of surrendering.”
The sources added that “one of the commanders decided to send them back into the building to retrieve their weapons, but a soldier opened fire after suspecting a movement by one of them, unaware of the commander’s decision.”
The website added that the force that killed the two Palestinians in Jenin did not immediately inform the command of the sequence of events, and that there are criticisms of what has been described as suboptimal operational conduct.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir commented on the incident by saying that investigations into Israeli soldiers who open fire on what he described as “terrorists” should be halted.
During a visit to an Israeli army unit in the West Bank, Ben Gvir urged an end to this practice.
He also called for revising the rules of engagement and the legal framework governing field incidents involving armed Palestinians, as he phrased it.
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