The Israel Defense Forces on Monday denied claims by an Israeli human rights organization that the shooting death of two Palestinian militants near the West Bank town of Jenin last week was an "execution." An IDF special forces unit opened fire on the two Palestinians in the village of Kfar al-Yamin while the two were already wounded and helpless, the B'Tselem group reported. Three other militants were killed in the raid. The B'Tselem report, which was based on an eyewitness account, said the two wounded militants entered the home of the Kabala family after clashes between Palestinian gunmen and IDF soldiers in the village. The family administered first aid to the militants, one of whom suffered wounds to his leg and the other to his stomach.
Advertisement Some 15 minutes later, said the report, IDF soldiers arrived at the house and threw grenades as they ordered the occupants to open the gate. The family let them in and entered inner courtyard of their house, as instructed by the soldiers. Three of the soldiers went into the house, after which the family heard gunshots.
According to B'Tselem, the militants were "executed by soldiers as they lay wounded on the ground, unarmed and without giving any indication of danger toward the soldiers."
The group said in its statement, "the fact that the soldiers did not shoot at the youths as soon as they entered the house, did not search their persons or bind their hands, supports the assumption that the soldiers did not see them as a threat." B'Tselem petitioned the military prosecution to open a criminal investigation of the event.
The IDF did not deny B'Tselem's claims of the order of events during the raid, but emphasized that the shooting was not an "execution."
"The soldiers recognized that gunmen had entered the house. An officer asked the family members if anyone was in the house, and was told no. He explained that he would enter with fire and they insisted that the house was empty," an IDF source said.
"The forces enter and recognize figures lying hidden under a blanket, open fire and continue to comb the house. This is the procedure for a house we know is occupied by militants. In a case like this, it is necessary to shoot first," the source added.
During a search of the house, soldiers found two M-16 rifles and a pistol. The Shin Bet security service said the militants were members of a band of Tanzim militants which develops rockets to fire at Afula.
Investigations by the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories,  B'Tselem have suggested that Israeli soldiers shot dead two unarmed, wounded Palestinians in a town west of Jenin. 

Salim Abu al-Heijah and Mahmoud Abu Hassan had gone to a relative's home to seek shelter and medical aid. About 20 minutes later, Israeli troops ordered the men's family members to vacate the house, broke in, and allegedly executed the injured men, after stepping over them.

The Israeli military denied the allegations, saying "The force identified suspicious characters during a search of the area and opened fire towards them."

The B'Tselem report states that the fact that the Israeli soldiers did not attempt to tie up the deceased, or search the body following the killing, indicates that the soldiers did not perceive the victims as potential threats.