Israel’s security establishment is moving to contain fallout from a counterterrorism raid that now threatens to overshadow a newly expanded West Bank operation. The IDF and national police announced late Thursday that they would investigate after a video circulated on social media showing Israeli forces shooting two Palestinian terror suspects in Jenin as they appeared to be surrendering.

The footage — released by the Ramallah-based Quds Network — shows two men emerging from a half-demolished garage door, crawling slowly with their hands raised and shirts lifted to display they were unarmed. Seconds later, Border Police officers open fire. The clip quickly ricocheted through regional media, prompting scrutiny of both the soldiers’ actions and the government’s response.

Soldiers at the scene offered a different account, telling Army Radio that the suspects “acted contrary to instructions.” According to one soldier, the two crawled back toward the building after being ordered to surrender and that retreat constituted a threat. But the video, shot from close range, suggests no rapid movement or clear attempt to flee — a discrepancy now at the center of the probe. At that range, critics note, officers could have used nonlethal force or aimed to disable instead of kill.

The incident came as Israel ramps up operations in the northern West Bank, with Border Police, Commando Brigade units and Israeli Air Force helicopters cooperating in what the IDF and Shin Bet describe as a “broad counterterrorism operation.” Since the campaign began Wednesday, Israeli forces have raided more than 220 sites, seized weapons and cash earmarked for terrorist activity, and detained multiple suspects. Earlier Thursday, Israeli officials said the terrorist responsible for murdering Israeli citizen Gideon Perry had been killed, a milestone that left no known Palestinian fugitives tied to civilian murders still at large in the West Bank.

The political reaction arrived faster than the military review. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released a statement on X offering “full support” to the officers involved — before investigators even began their work. Ben-Gvir has made aggressively broadened rules of engagement for security forces a central part of his agenda, and Thursday’s shooting is likely to become a flashpoint in that ongoing policy debate.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)