Israeli forces demolish home of alleged attacker in West Bank

Israeli forces demolished the house of an alleged Palestinian attacker in Nablus in the occupied West Bank early on Thursday, witnesses and the army said.

The army said it “demolished overnight in Nablus the home of Kamal Jouri, the terrorist who carried out a gun attack” which “caused the death of soldier Ido Baruch.”

Jouri was arrested by Israel in February after allegedly shooting dead the Israeli soldier at a West Bank settlement in October.

An eyewitness told AFP that Israeli forces had left Nablus after destroying “an apartment on the second floor of a six-storey building.”

Last week, the army destroyed the apartment of Osama Taweel, a prominent member of the Lions’ Den militant group, who was also accused of involvement in the killing of Baruch.

The demolition of Jouri’s home came just hours after Israel killed three members of what is claimed was a “terrorist cell” in a rare drone strike near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, as violence escalates with at least 13 Palestinians and four Israelis dead this week.

Israel regularly demolishes the homes of Palestinians who carry out attacks against Israelis.

It argues it is a deterrent though critics say it amounts to collective punishment.

The surge in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so far this year has killed at least 174 Palestinians, 25 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian.

The tally compiled from official sources includes combatants as well as civilians and, on the Israeli side, three members of the Arab minority.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1976.