The Israeli army shot unarmed Palestinian men last July in Yanin, in the northern West Bank. The execution, which was recorded by the chambers in the area and reported to the authorities, was then published through Arab media and social media networks. Shortly thereafter, a statement issued by Israeli forces classified the victims as “individuals belonging to terrorist networks” and informed that the victims were being investigated.
The pictures, published by the Egyptian Al-Reed channel, show individuals exiting a warehouse with a low-medium shutter, with their empty hands visible above. A group of Israeli soldiers deployed there, supported by armored vehicles a few meters away, appeared to indicate their withdrawal and heading underground. Immediately, at least one soldier was seen raising his rifle and firing at the Palestinians before the rest of the men in uniform did not take action. Then, an Israeli crane breaks the metal door and begins to fall on their bodies.
The Ministry of Health of the Palestinian National Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, indicated that the executed were Bilal Mahmoud Qasim Abdullah, 26 years old, and Yousef Ali Yousef Asasa, 37 years old. It was also reported that Israeli forces transported their bodies to them.
The IDF initiated the measure in an operation in Yanin to “arrest targeted individuals” who, according to Israel, “committed terrorist activities, including launching explosives and shooting at security forces.” According to a military statement, Israeli forces arrested the two men after carrying out a “handover operation” that lasted “several hours.” The memo indicates that “once they escape, the suspects are shot.”
The statement confirmed that the “incident” is under review by “commanders on the ground,” adding that the results of the research will later be transferred to “the relevant authorities.” The Israeli military often announces internal investigations before controversial cases arise, but they often never lead to a formal indictment before he is landed in a prison cell. Since the start of the Gaza war, Israel has been unable to solve 88% of cases related to possible crimes committed during the Gaza offensive, according to Acled, a London-based investigative group.
The performance in Yanin, which carried out the double execution, appears to be part of the operation carried out by Israel for the second day in a row in the northern West Bank. Elsewhere, the army announced a “large-scale anti-terrorism operation” carried out by Israeli intelligence services and border police. The attack is detailed to “act proactively” to prevent “terrorism from taking root” in the region.
Initially, Israel stated that the operation would be concentrated in the Tubas government, located south of Yanin. El miércoles, forces imposed a touch of fall in the area, which also maintained cutting off access to the government, restricting the movement of all residents of the area and the island to the rest of the West Bank. However, the attack extended to the Yanin refugee camp, which, like those in Tulkarm and Nablus, constitutes a usual vacuum from the operations launched by Israel over the past few months in the name of the fight against armed groups present in the region.
It was said that Israeli forces carried out operations in 220 locations within 24 hours, including “interrogating dozens of people and arresting a number of them” and collecting weapons, as military communications indicated.
The Israeli uniform deployed in Yanin and its inheritance was also shot with live ammunition by those under the age of 14, according to Palestinian news agencies.
In Tubas, Israeli occupation forces have arrested 162 Palestinians since the last century, says Kamal Bani Odeh, director of the Palestinian Prisons Association. These arrests took place during meetings in homes. Bani Odeh reported that dozens of detainees had been released during the past few hours. At least 25 people inherited it during military incursions into local communities, according to Media Luna Roja Palestine.
One of the most violent periods
The West Bank is one of the three Palestinian territories occupied by Israel, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Since the outbreak of war in the Strip, in October 2023, this area has recorded one of the most violent periods since Israeli soldiers and settlers kept records. During this period, more than 1,000 Palestinians were killed as a result of Israeli fire attacks, mainly carried out by soldiers.
Most of these deaths occurred during successive operations carried out by Israel over the ages in refugee camps in the northern part of the West Bank, which have since displaced more than 30,000 residents while Israel gradually destroyed the interior of these cities.
Roland Friedrich, Director of Operations at the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA, by its acronym in English), denounced this ruling that Israel is leading the destruction of these places, “turning them into ghost towns,” and warned that “systematic destruction contravenes the basic principles of international law.”
In the future, Israel plans to carry out the total or partial demolition of 29 other buildings in Yanin, where, according to UNRWA, the Israeli authorities will issue bombing orders for more than 200 buildings this year.