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Home of Dee family killer said demolished in Nablus raid

4 March 2024, 3:19 am 1 Edit
The blown-up home of terrorist Moaz al-Masri in Nablus, March 4, 2024. (screen capture: Telegram)
The blown-up home of terrorist Moaz al-Masri in Nablus, March 4, 2024. (screen capture: Telegram)

Palestinians report that the Nablus home of a Hamas terrorist accused in the killing of an Israeli-UK mother and her two daughters in an attack last year has been blown up in an overnight operation.

Pictures and videos show the home of Moaz al-Masri, on the fourth floor of an apartment building, reduced to a shell. Other floors appear intact and undamaged.

There is no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces.

According to the IDF, Al-Masri was part of a cell that opened fire at Lucy Dee, 48, and her daughters Maia Dee, 20, and Rina Dee, 15, as they drove through the northern Jordan Valley on April 7, 2023. The daughters were declared dead at the scene, while Lucy was rushed to a hospital in critical condition but died three days later.

Moaz al-Masri, Hassan Qatnani and Ibrahim Jabr were killed in an Israeli military raid in early May, following a lengthy manhunt. Hamas said the three were members and claimed responsibility for the attack.

In June, the army published pictures of soldiers mapping the al-Masri home for demolition.

Troops map the home of Moaz al-Masri, the Hamas terrorist who killed 3 members of the Dee family in a West Bank shooting, on June 13, 2023 (Israel Defense Forces)

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.

The Dee family, Rabbi Leo and Lucy in the center, Rina (L) and Maia top row. Lucy, Rina and Maia were killed in a terrorist attack in the West Bank on April 7, 2023. (Courtesy)

The three members of the Dee family were dual Israeli-British nationals who lived in the West Bank settlement of Efrat, just south of Jerusalem, after moving to Israel some eight years ago.

Emanuel Fabian contributed to this post.

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