"JERUSALEM Israeli forces on Thursday killed a pair of Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank after they appeared to surrender to troops, drawing Palestinian accusations that the men were executed "in cold blood." The Israeli military said it was investigating. The killings, captured in videos shown on two Arab TV stations, came as Israel pressed ahead with its latest offensive in the West Bank, where the army has stepped up its activities over the past two years."
"In a video shown on Palestine TV, which has no sound, the two men come out of a garage holding their hands up and lifting their shirts to show they are not carrying explosives. They are ordered to the ground and kicked by one of the policemen. They are then ordered back to the garage. In a video shown by Egyptian TV station Al-Ghad, the men are ordered back to the entrance of the garage. As they are on the ground and surrounded by troops, gunshots are heard and the men slump down, apparently lifeless."
"The Israeli military and national police announced they were opening an investigation into the deaths Thursday of the two men, who were shot by members of the border police, a special unit that often operates alongside the Israeli military. On Thursday, Israel carried out another round of airstrikes on suspected Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon. Ongoing conflicts in the region have fueled concerns that unrest could spill over and undermine the fragile truce in Gaza."
Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank after the men appeared to surrender, prompting Palestinian accusations that the killings were executions. Videos broadcast on regional TV stations show the men emerging from a garage with hands raised, being ordered to the ground and later shot as they lay surrounded by troops. The Israeli military and national police opened an investigation and said members of the border police fired the shots. Palestinians and rights groups allege excessive force and cite dozens of unarmed civilian deaths. Israel says it is targeting militants amid wider regional tensions, including airstrikes in southern Lebanon, and a Palestinian-American teenager detained for nine months was released.
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