HEBRON, November 7, 2024 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation forces Thursday informed the family of a slain Palestinian of their intention to punitively demolish their house in the Idhna town, west of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, according to local sources.

They said that the occupation forces stormed the house of Muhannad al-Asoud in the town, occupied its rooftop and infirmed his family of their intention to tear it down, all simultaneously while firing barrages of gunfire and concussion grenades.

Fully equipped and furnished to be inhabited, the house consists of two storeys and covers an area of over 240 square meters.

In early September 2024, the occupation forces broke into the house, took its measurements and made scores of holes in the walls of the house in preparation for the punitive demolition.

On September 1, 2024, the occupation forces had gunned down Al-Asoud, 34, during an attack with ammunition and shells on a house he was hiding in. Al-Asoud opened fire in the morning of that day at the Tarkumiya checkpoint in southwest Hebron, killing three Israeli soldiers. His body was withheld by the occupation forces afterwards.

Israeli occupation authorities have long used to punitively demolish the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks on Israelis, a policy that Israel does not apply to Israeli settlers who are involved in fatal attacks against Palestinians.

The policy has been widely condemned by human rights groups as a collective punishment and a war crime.

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 offence.”

“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.

K.F.