IDF & Israel Police to investigate alleged unlawful killing of 2 terrorists in Jenin

The Israeli military and police began an investigation into the killing of two Palestinian terror suspects during their arrest by Border Police soldiers in the city of Jenin in Samaria on Thursday morning.

Later on Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces stated that its soldiers “operated to apprehend wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces.”

The Israeli troops surrounded the building where the suspects were hiding, “and initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours. Following the use of engineering tools on the structure, the two suspects exited.”

“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 authorities,” the IDF stated.

On Friday, the Department for Internal Police Investigations confirmed that it had opened a criminal investigation into the deadly shooting.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror group later confirmed the IDF’s statement that the two suspects were members of its terror network in Jenin, one of them being described as a “field commander.”

The incident was widely published after footage apparently filmed by bystanders began circulating on social media.

The IDF is investigating an incident in which Israeli troops were seen shooting at two wanted Palestinians after their surrender during a counterterrorism operation in the West Bank city of Jenin today. pic.twitter.com/7EjXCxHBXW

— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) November 27, 2025

Sources within the Border Police described the sequence of events to Ynet News, emphasizing that “the undercover officers are certain they acted according to orders and regulations – and did not deviate from them.”

The sources said that one of the militants tried to escape before the soldiers could rule out that he had been carrying an explosive device or another weapon.

The sources explained that the suspects “suddenly stopped obeying instructions – and made their way back toward the building. At that stage, fire was opened at them, on suspicion that they were planning to do something that would endanger the fighters.”

Army Radio quoted the soldiers’ version of the incident from initial debriefings: “When the militants exited, we began conducting the security screening procedures. We did not know whether they had weapons or any explosive device.”

“We began instructing them what to do for the security check – and the militants acted contrary to the instructions they were given. At a certain point, one of the militants decided to go back inside the building against the instructions – and the second militant followed him, and therefore both were shot,” explained one of the involved soldiers.

The report added that the Border Police officers were wearing body cameras during the incident, though it remains unclear whether the devices were recording during the arrest.

The footage circulating on social media shows Israeli soldiers standing at the entrance of a building when two suspects emerge, raising their hands and their shirts, apparently to demonstrate they are not wearing explosive belts or weapons.

They then kneel on the ground before getting up at some point and returning to the building. Israeli soldiers then apparently fired at the suspects.

The footage doesn’t include sound, and leaves several questions unanswered, including whether the suspects got up and returned to the building on their own accord, which could indicate they attempted to flee.

The footage also shows gestures by one of the soldiers that could be interpreted as instructing the suspects to walk back toward the building.

The film doesn’t show the building's entrance area clearly, leaving the possibility that the suspects moved toward a weapon of some kind.

Border Police sources told Ynet, “The undercover officers carried out hundreds of operations in the heart of dangerous areas in the West Bank and risked their lives, and now, when they return from an operational mission, they are being asked to explain themselves. They are certain they acted according to the orders and regulations and did not deviate from them.”

Commenting on the incident, Army Radio’s military correspondent, Doron Kadosh, said, “I cautiously assess that we may be at the beginning of an Elor Azaria Affair 2. The characteristics, seemingly, are beginning to resemble that case, from exactly a decade ago, minus four months.”

Azaria is a former IDF soldier who, in 2016, shot and killed a wounded terrorist lying on the ground, after he had stabbed another soldier. After a months-long, highly publicized and controversial affair, Azaria was convicted of manslaughter and served nine months in jail.