Israel destroys West Bank homes of 2 alleged Palestinian attackers
The Israeli military said it demolished two homes on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron belonging to Palestinians accused of carrying out a deadly attack in Tel Aviv in October of 2024.
In a statement, the military said its forces "destroyed in Hebron the homes of the two terrorists who carried out the attack at the Jaffa light rail station in which seven Israelis and foreign residents were murdered and 15 additional civilians were injured".
The attack took place on October 1 last year, just as Iran was launching a wave of around 200 missiles at Israel in support of its allies Hamas and Hezbollah.
Hamas, which had been at war with Israel since its October 7, 2023 attack, claimed responsibility for the Tel Aviv shootings, and said they "coincided with the painful strikes... executed by Iran".
The assailants, armed with "an M-16 automatic rifle, several magazines, and a knife", according to Israeli police, had opened fire on tram passengers and pedestrians.
One of the attackers, 19-year-old Mohammad Misk, was shot dead in the street, while the other, Ahmad al-Haimoni, was wounded and arrested, police said.
Haimoni had lived on the second story of a three-story house. The middle floor of the structure was demolished with explosives, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.
Israel, whose army has occupied the West Bank since 1967, regularly destroys the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks against Israelis.
The government argues that these demolitions serve as a deterrent, but critics denounce them as collective punishment that leaves families homeless.
Violence has soared throughout the West Bank since the war between Hamas and Israel broke out in Gaza.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 905 Palestinians, including many militants, in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
At least 32 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to official Israeli figures.
Source: Agence France Presse
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