Elor Azaria All Over Again?
PROPAGANDA VIDEO CLAIMS ISRAEL "executed" two wanted terrorists in Jenin | WATCH
Two Islamic Jihad operatives were filmed being shot at close range after emerging with their hands raised. The IDF and police have opened an investigation. The soldiers involved say they feared for their lives and believed the suspects were armed.
Soldiers were recorded on Thursday shooting at close range at two Islamic Jihad terrorists who exited a building with their hands up. In their initial debrief, the soldiers said: “We felt our lives were in danger; we feared they were armed,” as reported on Channel 13.
The IDF said: “Earlier this evening, during an operation by Border Police and IDF forces in the city of Jenin, under the Menashe Brigade, the forces moved in to arrest wanted suspects who had carried out terror activities, including throwing explosive devices and opening fire at security forces. The suspects belonged to the Jenin terror network.
The forces entered the area, surrounded the building where the suspects were hiding, and initiated an arrest protocol that lasted several hours. After engineering equipment was used on the structure, the two suspects exited. Once they left the building, fire was opened on the suspects.
The incident is currently under operational review in the field and will be forwarded to the authorized authorities for further examination.”
Shocking Update:
It has now been proven the video was edited: in the extended version, in high quality and less edited, it is clearly seen that the terrorist lowers his hands from surrendering, reaches into his belt/waistband area for an extended time and moments later the soldiers, under a possible immediate threat, opened fire and neutralized him.
Doron Kadosh: The Key Unanswered Questions in the Case
1. When the terrorists got up from the ground and walked back toward the building, did they do so under the soldiers’ orders? Did the soldiers actually tell them to move? In the footage, one soldier, who is seen kicking the two terrorists for no apparent reason, gestures with his hands in a way that seems to signal them to stand and walk, but it’s unclear whether this was an explicit command.
2. Did the soldiers see anything that might have raised suspicion, such as a weapon or sharp object, that the terrorists could have picked up to attack the troops? There is a dark area at the building’s entrance that is difficult to see clearly in the video, though the soldiers on the ground may have had a better view.
3. How many soldiers fired? From the video alone, it is difficult to determine whether only one soldier fired on the terrorists or whether two or more soldiers discharged their weapons.
Kadosh adds: “My very cautious assessment is that we may be at the beginning of an Elor Azaria 2 situation. The characteristics, at least at first glance, are starting to resemble that case from nearly exactly a decade ago, minus four months.”
Kadosh explained:
An Israeli security source rejected accusations circulating online regarding the shooting of two wanted terrorists in Jenin, calling the allegations a “blood libel against our holy soldiers.”
According to the source, during an operation to arrest terror suspects in the city, described as a “terror hub,” two terrorists initially exchanged fire with Israeli forces from inside a building. Facing the likelihood of being eliminated by helicopter fire or an anti-tank projectile, the suspects allegedly pretended to surrender in order to get close enough to harm the soldiers.
The source said that as the suspects approached IDF troops at point-blank range, they drew handguns and were immediately shot and killed by the forces.
He added that claims circulating online about an execution-style killing echo “Nazi blood libels,” and labeled anyone spreading them as “a traitor.”
The source also pointed to a jump-cut in the viral video at the 00:26 mark, arguing that the footage had been edited and that the moment showing the attempted attack on soldiers was deliberately removed.