From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 19, 2026
IDF demolishes home of terrorist who committed deadly November ramming and stabbing attack
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
IDF troops demolished the home of a Palestinian terrorist who carried out a deadly car-ramming and stabbing attack in the West Bank last year, the military says.
On November 18, 2025, Walid Sabarneh, along with a second terrorist, Imran al-Atrash, accelerated their vehicle into people at the Gush Etzion Junction, before stabbing several victims.
The terrorists killed Aharon Cohen, 71, and wounded three others, including two civilians and a soldier.
Overnight, the IDF says it operated in the West Bank town of Beit Ummar and demolished Sabarneh’s home.
כוחות צה"ל הרסו את בית המחבל שביצע את הפיגוע בצומת הגוש בו נרצח אהרון כהן ז"ל
כוחות צה"ל מחטיבת עציון ויחידת יהל"ם פעלו במהלך הלילה בכפר בית אומר שבחטיבת עציון, להריסת ביתו של המחבל ואליד צבארנה.
המחבל ביצע יחד עם מחבל נוסף את פיגוע הדריסה והדקירה ב-18 בנובמבר 2025 בצומת הגוש… pic.twitter.com/W5etU4biMs
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 19, 2026
As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks. An appeal can be submitted, but such attempts rarely succeed.
Israeli officials have said the policy is intended to dissuade Palestinians from planning terror attacks, as doing so will harm their extended families’ livelihood. Critics call it collective punishment.
The Times of Israel Community.