The Palestinian Prisoners Society reported on Thursday that Israeli forces killed two Palestinian men during detention operations in the Jenin and Salfit governorates. The victims were identified as Mohammed Nazem Zayed, 29, from Jenin, and Mustafa Al-Khatib, 32, from Salfit.
Details of the Incidents
According to a statement by the society, Zayed was killed after Israeli soldiers surrounded a house in the town of Ya’bad, west of Jenin. The soldiers shot him directly and subsequently withheld his body. In a separate incident, Al-Khatib was killed during a raid on his home in Salfit. The soldiers shot him directly and left his body inside the house after extensively ransacking it.
Accusations of Extrajudicial Killings
The Palestinian Prisoners Society affirmed that these two crimes constitute an extension of what it describes as a systematic policy of extrajudicial killings pursued by Israeli forces. The society noted that this policy has witnessed an unprecedented escalation since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip. It added that there has been a surge in the deliberate killing of Palestinians during arrest and raid operations, or after their detention and capture.
Evidence of Abuse
The society cited numerous documented cases in recent months indicating that some Palestinians were killed after being detained and brought under Israeli control. Reports have mentioned restraint marks on the bodies of some deceased detainees, and information emerged following the return of bodies released through prisoner exchange agreements. The society asserted that the policy of extrajudicial killings is no longer limited to individual or exceptional acts but has become a consistent approach and a central tool in the system of colonial violence practiced by the occupying state against Palestinians.
