From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
IDF demolishes home of Palestinian suspected of killing man and son in West Bank terror attack
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IDF troops demolished the West Bank home of a Palestinian man suspected of killing an Israeli father and son in a terror attack in August, Hebrew media report.
Troops went into the town of Aqraba and destroyed the home of Osama Bani Fadl, who had been arrested for gunning down Shay Silas Nigreker, 60, and his 28-year-old son Aviad Nir, residents of Ashdod, at a carwash in the town of Huwara, south of Nablus.
Bani Fadl was arrested in a raid on Jenin in November. He was found hiding in an attic space, above a door hidden behind a double wall, footage released by the IDF showed. He was found hiding with an M-16 rifle, magazines, and a Hamas flag.
Israeli authorities often take punitive action such as home demolitions even before a conviction in cases of terrorist attacks. Jerusalem defends the practice of razing the family home of attackers as a deterrent against future assaults and officials have argued that speed is essential, claiming that the deterrent factor degrades over time.
Over the years, a number of Israeli defense officials have questioned the efficacy of the practice and human rights activists have denounced it as unfair collective punishment.
The Times of Israel Community.