Israeli forces have launched an extensive ground and air assault across the northern occupied West Bank, triggering mass displacement and drawing condemnation after two unarmed Palestinian men were shot dead while surrendering.
Footage and eyewitness accounts show the two men raising their hands in the air before being shot multiple times in the back by Israeli troops. Palestinian authorities described the killings as “executions in cold blood,” calling for international accountability.
The attack coincides with a sweeping Israeli military campaign across the Tubas governorate and nearby refugee camps. According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), more than 32,000 Palestinians have been displaced as Israeli troops, police, and internal security forces impose what they describe as “a broad counterterrorism operation” aimed at dismantling alleged militant networks.
Local officials dispute that characterisation. “It is a political operation, not a security one,” said Ahmed al-Asaad, governor of the Tubas region. “This is the first time the entire governorate is included. The whole governorate is now under Israeli army operations.” The assault began overnight on Wednesday, with Israeli forces raiding the towns of Tammun and Tayasir, as well as the Far’a refugee camp. Troops erected earth mounds to seal off all primary and secondary roads, effectively placing the area under total lockdown. A strict curfew remains in place.
Residents reported that an Israeli Apache attack helicopter fired missiles toward residential areas, escalating fears among civilians trapped inside their homes. By Thursday, reinforcements were seen moving into the region from the Tayasir checkpoint and the Atouf Gate, expanding the IDF presence across multiple sectors of the governorate. Soldiers continue to conduct home raids and detain residents, with dozens of Palestinians being held in field interrogation centres, according to the official Wafa news agency. The incursion—one of the largest in the area in recent years—has left entire communities isolated and thousands displaced as the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate.
PHOTO: Video footage taken by phone shows two Palestinian men with their hands up being shot in the back