JENIN, April 4, 2016 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation forces Monday punitively demolished the family homes of three killed Palestinians, whom Israel accused of carrying out a fatal attack against an Israeli soldier, in Jenin’s Qabatiya town.

WAFA correspondent said armed forces demolished at dawn the family homes of Ahmad Najeh Abu al-Robb, Ahmad Najeh Zakarneh, and Mohammed Ahmad Kmail, all in their early 20s, for their involvement in a fatal attack against an Israeli soldier in Jerusalem, about two months ago.

All three were fatally shot at the scene. The attack left an Israeli female soldier dead.

Local sources informed WAFA a large military force, accompanied by bulldozers, stormed the town at dawn, where they deployed across its streets and alleys and turned several Palestinian homes into military outposts, before proceeding to demolish the three homes.

Clashes consequently broke out between Israeli forces and the town’s locals, who attempted to prevent the demolition, shooting and injuring two members of Kmail’s family in their legs, which necessitated their transfer to hospital for medical treatment.

Dozens of suffocation cases, due to inhaling tear gas fired at them by Israeli soldiers, were reported. They were all treated at the scene.

The son of Kmail noted that they have appealed around 10 days ago against the demolition at the Israeli Supreme Court, however, their appeal was rejected.

Several days later, Israeli forces took measurement for the three homes, as a prelude to demolish them.

The son of Kmail told WAFA that the demolished 150-square-meter homes,  housed 21 people.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces handed the family of Bilal Abu al-Robb a demolition notice for their home, for their son’s, bilal, complicity in the attack; Bilal reportedly gave the three killed Palestinians a ride to Jerusalem, where the attack took place.

To be noted, Israeli forces imposed a three-day lockdown on the town following the fatal attack.

Israeli human rights group, B‘Tselem, has called the Israeli government’s response to recent escalation in the area as ‘the very inverse of what ought to be done’ toward ending the violence.‘

“The people who bear the brunt of the [punitive] demolitions are relatives – including women, the elderly, and children – whom Israel does not suspect of involvement in any offense,” says B’Tselem.

“In the vast majority of cases, the person whose actions prompted the demolition was not even living in the house at the time of the demolition,” adds the group.

“The official objective of the house demolition policy is deterrence … yet the deterrent effect of house demolitions has never been proven.”

“Since this constitutes deliberate harm to innocents, it is clear that even if house demolition had the desired deterrent effect, it would, nevertheless, remain unlawful.”

Since early October 2015, a wave of violence have engulfed the Palestinian Territory, Gaza,  and Israel; fueled by Israel’s unilateral enforcement of a temporal division on al-Aqsa mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam.

Since then, 204 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces’ fire, including 48 children, and 10 women. Around 17.000 injury cases were also documented.

T.R.