Israeli Soldiers Demolish Two Palestinian Homes in West Bank

On Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces demolished the homes of two Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks and killing Israelis.

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Israeli soldiers stormed the village of Hares, west of the West Bank city of Salfit, and surrounded the house of Muhammad Souf, who was shot dead after killing three Israelis in a stabbing attack on Nov. 15, 2022.

The Israeli forces removed the residents from the house before blowing it up. Clashes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers without causing any injuries.

The Israeli army also demolished the house of a Palestinian prisoner with bulldozers in the village of Hajja, in the city of Qalqilya. Younes Hilan was arrested on October 25, 2022, on charges of carrying out a stabbing attack east of Qalqilya that led to the death of one Israeli.

The demolition comes amid a surge of violence in the Gaza Strip, after the death of Khader Adnan, a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad member who died in Israeli custody after he went on a hunger strike for nearly three months.

Israel frequently demolishes the homes of Palestinian attackers, even if they were killed during the attack. Israel claims this measure aims to determine potential attackers.

"Israeli occupation authorities have long used to punitively demolish the family homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks on Israelis, a policy that Israel does not apply to Israeli settlers who are involved in fatal attacks against Palestinians," WAFA agency recalled.

This Israeli "policy has been widely condemned by human rights groups as a collective punishment and a war crime," it added.