Far-right Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich rank among the most extreme figures in Netanyahu`s regime`s cabinet.

Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has granted a promotion to an officer whose unit "carried out a cold-blooded execution" of two unarmed Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, an Israeli media report says.

Israel`s Haaretz newspaper reported on Sunday that Ben-Gvir had informed the commander of the unit that he would advance him to deputy commissioner.

The minister visited the unit`s base on Friday to personally notify the commander, identified as "K," about the promotion, it added.

Ben-Gvir has also released a recording of himself from the undercover unit base in which he hugs Senior Lieutenant Colonel K., as well as a video in which he expresses support for the unit`s soldiers under investigation.

The move comes after a video showed Israeli forces shooting directly and killing two Palestinians. Israeli forces shot dead the pair at close range on Thursday.

The video of the killings clearly shows the two men were unarmed and complying with demands to surrender.

Palestinian authorities said Israeli forces carried out a cold-blooded execution of the two young men.

The Palestinian health ministry identified them as 26-year-old Montasir Abdullah and 37-year-old Yusuf Asasa.

After the video of the execution in cold blood led to international condemnation, Ben-Gvir defended the soldiers and their commander.

The Israeli army has escalated its attacks in the occupied West Bank since October 2023, when it launched a genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip.

More than 1,085 Palestinians have since been killed, and 10,700 others wounded in attacks by Israeli forces and extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied territory. More than 20,500 people have also been arrested.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel`s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds.