The IDF admitted to killing two Palestinian men and burying their bodies with a bulldozer after Al Jazeera published a video claiming to show the incident, according to an IDF statement to CNN on Saturday.
The IDF claimed that the men approached the operational area in central Gaza in a "suspicious manner" and didn't respond to warning shots.
After they were killed, their bodies were buried using a bulldozer due to the fear of hidden explosives.
Two unarmed #Palestinian men were shot dead by #Israeli forces in #Gaza at close range; their bodies were later buried by an army bulldozer in sand and trash. Al Jazeera was able to capture exclusive broadcast footage of the incident. The men waved what looked like white cloth… pic.twitter.com/Jf522ulHof
— RTA English (@rtaenglish1) March 28, 2024
The video, filmed from a distance and heavily edited, was released by Al Jazeera on Wednesday.
In the video, you can see two men walking along a beach in Gaza, waving white flags, as they approach a wall of rubble dividing the beach, where Israeli soldiers are stationed.
As one crosses the barrier, he waves at troops stationed there and is allowed to approach them. He then passes out of view of the camera, and what happens is unclear.
The second man turns away from the barrier and begins walking away quickly from the barrier while being followed by an Israeli armored vehicle. He starts waving at the vehicle once he notices it following him but suddenly falls and crumples over, apparently shot.
The video cuts to a close-up of an Israeli military bulldozer coming to pick up two corpses. The bulldozer picks up the bodies, burying them under sand and debris.
CNN could not confirm
CNN could not confirm if the two shots were of the same people and whether they were in the exact location, but Al Jazeera claims that it shows the same event.
Al Jazeera also accused the Israeli soldiers of trying to cover up the "executions."
CNN was able to confirm that the first shot had occurred near Al Rashid Street in central Gaza, using visual evidence, including satellite imagery and videos. They also confirmed that Israeli engineering vehicles had been deployed to that area at the time.
The IDF told CNN that the edited video "represents two different incidents."
"The first incident occurred in the southern part of the corridor. After the suspect did not respond to a warning shot, the (force) fired in his direction, and he was shot and slightly wounded."
The IDF denied that the second shot was the same event, saying that it had occurred in the northern part of the Strip, "Two suspects with bags on their backs observed our forces and approached them in a suspicious manner. After not responding to a warning shot, the forces conducted live fire toward them, as a result of which they were killed. The bodies were moved from the area using the documented tool out of fear of [there] being explosives on the suspects and risk to the forces."