IDF prepares to raze West Bank home of second Dee family terrorist
Troops map the Nablus home of Hamas terrorist Moaz al-Masri; Palestinians throw stones, explosives at soldiers who return fire
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israeli military early Tuesday morning made preparations for the demolition of the home of a Palestinian terrorist who carried out a deadly shooting attack on the Dee family in the West Bank in April
On April 7, Hamas terrorists Moaz al-Masri and Hassan Qatnani opened fire at Lucy Dee, 48, and her daughters Maia Dee, 20, and Rina Dee, 15, as they drove through the northern Jordan Valley. The daughters were declared dead at the scene, while Lucy was rushed to a hospital in critical condition but died three days later.
Qatnani and al-Masri, along with a third Palestinian gunman, were killed in an Israeli raid in Nablus in early May.
In the predawn hours of Tuesday morning, the Israel Defense Forces said troops measured al-Masri’s home — the first step before its potential demolition — in the Rafidiya neighborhood in the West Bank city of Nablus.
Troops had already mapped out Qatani’s home.
The IDF said “the mappings were carried out for the purpose of examining the possibility of demolishing the homes.”
Lucy, Rina and Maia were killed in a terrorist attack in the West Bank on April 7, 2023. (Courtesy)
During the operation, Palestinians threw stones and explosive devices and fired at the Israeli forces, who responded with live fire, the army said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries on either side.
The IDF also said that it had arrested nine people across the West Bank in overnight raids and confiscated several weapons.
As a matter of policy, Israel regularly demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks as well as their accomplices. The efficacy of the policy has been hotly debated even within the Israeli security establishment, while human rights activists denounce the practice as unjust collective punishment.
The demolition process generally takes several months, as the home needs to be mapped out, the High Court must address potential appeals by the family, and security forces often wait for an optimal time to enter Palestinian cities or neighborhoods for the operation.
Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been elevated for the past year, with the military carrying out near-nightly raids in the West Bank, in the wake of a series of deadly Palestinian terror attacks.
Since the beginning of the year, Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank have killed 20 people and left several more seriously hurt.
According to a tally by The Times of Israel, 116 West Bank Palestinians have been killed during that span, most of them during clashes with security forces, but some were uninvolved civilians and others were killed under more questionable circumstances.
