Israel’s apparent extrajudicial killings of three Palestinian men at the Ibn Sina hospital in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank may amount to grave violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, UN experts warned on February 9, 2024.
On 29 January, around 10 armed members of the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Police reportedly entered the hospital disguised as doctors, nurses, and female civilians. They were captured on CCTV bringing a wheelchair and a doll in a baby carrier into the hospital. After entering a rehabilitation ward, Israeli forces shot dead Basel Ayman Al-Ghazawi, a patient being treated for serious injuries from an Israeli airstrike three months ago, his brother, Muhammad Ayman Al-Ghazawi, and another visitor, Muhammed Walid Jalamna.
Referring to Basel Ayman Al-Ghazawi, the Experts noted that under international humanitarian law, “killing a defenseless injured patient who is being treated in a hospital amounts to a war crime”. They also added: "By disguising themselves as seemingly harmless, protected medical personnel and civilians, the Israeli forces also prima facie committed the war crime of perfidy, which is prohibited in all circumstances,” the experts said.
The experts called on Israel to conduct an effective investigation, in line with international law, with a view to prosecuting and punishing those responsible for committing, ordering, and assisting in these alleged crimes, while putting in place procedures to prevent future arbitrary killings and provide reparations to the victims”.
They emphasized the international community’s long-standing concern at Israel’s culture of impunity in relation to alleged international law violations by its personnel. In the absence of a prompt investigation into the killings, the experts would urge an investigation by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.