Palestinian said killed in West Bank clashes as IDF moves to raze terrorist’s home
Palestinians report 1 dead, 2 critically hurt in town near Jenin as security forces arrive to demolish residence of Diaa Hamarsheh, who killed 5 people in Bnei Brak
A Palestinian was reportedly killed Wednesday night during clashes with Israeli forces in a town near Jenin in the northern West Bank, as they moved to demolish the home of a terrorist who killed five people in Bnei Brak.
Israeli soldiers and military bulldozers were seen entering Ya’bad to raze Diaa Hamarsheh’s home. Three Palestinians were critically injured in firefights with the military, one of whom was later pronounced dead, according to the Palestinian media health ministry.
He was identified as Bilal Kabha, 24. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a designated terror group, later claimed him as a member.
There were no reports of injuries to Israeli troops.
On March 29, Hamarsheh, 27, killed four civilians in the central ultra-Orthodox city, before he died in a shootout with police officers, one of whom was his fifth victim.
The military initiated the process of razing his home the day after the attack and issued the demolition order last month.
The shooting came at the start of a wave of repeated terror attacks in Israeli cities that has claimed the lives of 19 people. The military has stepped up its West Bank activities in an attempt to crack down on the spiraling violence.
عاجل| مصادر محلية: "قوات الاحتلال تقتحم بأعداد كبيرة بلدة يعبد في جنين".#فلسطين pic.twitter.com/SINvJ1jV3z
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Israel defends the contentious practice of razing the family homes of terrorists 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, however, a number of Israeli defense officials have questioned the efficacy of the practice, and human rights activists have denounced it as unfair collective punishment.
