Israeli soldiers carry out a raid in the town of Rummanah in the West Bank on May 8, 2022, at the home of a Palestinian accused of carrying out a fatal axe attack in the central city of Elad two days earlier. (JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)
Out of the frying pan, and into the fire: With a ceasefire with Gaza based Islamic Jihad less than an hour old, the Israel Defense Forces announces that has sent soldiers into a Palestinian village to destroy the homes of two terrorists accused of carrying out a deadly terror attack in May.
Soldiers are operating in Rumannah, near Jenin, to raze the homes of As’ad al-Rifa’i, 19, and Subhi Emad Sbeihat, 20.
The two allegedly hacked and stabbed three people to death and severely wounded several others during an attack in the central city of Elad at the closing of Independence Day in May.
According to Israel, Al-Rifa’i confessed to security forces that he committed the axe attack with Sbeihat, killing Oren Ben Yiftah, a 35-year-old driver from Lod, and Elad residents Yonatan Havakuk and Boaz Gol, both in their 40s.
The Israel Defense Forces mapped out both Rummanah homes shortly after the men were arrested, days after the attack. Their families had been given time to appeal the razings.
A Palestinian demonstrator kicks a burning tire as protesters block the main street near the Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus, to protest against the Israeli air strikes in Gaza on August 7, 2022. (JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)
The operation comes with tensions in the West Bank already heightened due to the violence in Gaza. The three-day flareup was touched off after Israel arrested a senior Islamic Jihad terrorist in the West Bank, sparking Israeli fears of a revenge attack and the eventual tit-for-tat battle.
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