The UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory called for an end to the “senseless killings” in the occupied West Bank, urging Israel to stop extrajudicial executions and other unlawful use of force in the occupied territory.
“Over the last two weeks, Israeli security forces have killed two Palestinian men in planned summary executions, while seven Palestinians were killed in conditions that raise concerns about the use of unnecessary or disproportionate lethal force,” said the agency in a statement issued on Friday.
“Over the last two weeks, Israeli security forces have killed two Palestinian men in what appear to be planned summary executions, while seven others were killed under circumstances raising serious concerns about the use of unnecessary or disproportionate lethal force. Additionally, an Israeli woman was shot and killed on a highway in the occupied West Bank by unidentified assailants,” the agency stated, adding that “Israel must ensure that all those responsible for unlawful killings are brought to justice through fair trials.”
The UN Human Rights Office alleged that on 8 May, Israeli undercover forces summarily executed a 30-year-old Palestinian man in Nablus, with CCTV footage indicating he was shot while attempting to surrender and again while incapacitated, contradicting Israeli claims that he posed an armed threat.
“Claims from Israeli security forces that the man was armed and posing a threat to them appear to be contradicted by this video evidence,” said the group.
The UN agency also refuted Israeli claims regarding the 2 May killing of a 39-year-old “wanted” Palestinian man in the Balata refugee camp, noting that while security forces said they found a gun and cartridges in his car, they did not assert that he posed any immediate threat when he was shot.
They observed that on 14 May, Israeli security forces reportedly fired live ammunition and injured a young Palestinian man in his thigh near the Qalandiya Refugee Camp, Jerusalem.
They accused two Israeli soldiers of repeatedly kicking the injured man in the head while he lay on the ground, as shown in a video; the soldiers then walked away without arresting him or providing medical assistance, despite the man reportedly suffering a head hemorrhage in addition to his gunshot wounds.
The agency also reported that, on 15 May, armed Palestinians reportedly shot and killed a pregnant 30-year-old Israeli woman on the highway near Brukhin settlement, west of Salfit, also injuring her husband.
Following the incident, Israeli security forces closed several checkpoints in the northern and central West Bank and imposed severe movement restrictions, particularly around Burqin and Salfit, while an Israeli minister called for “flattening” Palestinian villages in response.
The agency urged the Israeli security forces to ensure that measures adopted following the attack comply with international law, including the prohibition of collective punishment.
