QALQILIA, Tuesday, November 15, 2022 (WAFA) – Israeli forces took measurments for the family house of a Palestinian prisoner suspected of carrying out a stabbing attack against an Israeli settler, according to local sources.

Eyewitness told WAFA Israeli forces raided the family house of Palestinian prisoner, Yunis Hailan, whom Israel claims was behind the stabbing and killing of an Israeli settler to the east of Qalqilia almost a month ago, and took its measurements in an apparent prelude to demolish it as a collective punishment for the settler’s killings.

Israel demolishes the homes of any Palestinians – as means of deterrence – accused of being involved in attacks against Israelis, a policy that Israel does not use against Israeli settlers who were involved in fatal attacks against Palestinians.

This policy was widely slammed by human rights organizations as “collective punishment” and “a war crime and a crime against humanity”.

B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, says: “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.”

“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.”

It said that, “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.”

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