IDF demolishes homes of terrorists who murdered 3 Israelis, left 16 orphans

The demolitions were carried out after the petitions of the terrorists’ families to the High Court were rejected.

By Aryeh Savir, TPS

IDF forces operated on Monday morning to demolish the home of two terrorists who killed three Israelis at the end of Israel’s 74th Independence Day celebrations in the central Israeli city of Elad.

The IDF stated that its forces destroyed the two homes of the terrorists in the village of Rumana in Samaria.

The terrorists, Assad Yussef Al-Rafa’i, 19, and Tzabhi Imad Abu Shakir, 20, carried out an attack on May 5. They murdered Yonatan Havakuk, a father of five; Boaz Gol, a father of five; and Oren Ben Yiftach, a father of six, as well as wounding several others.

The terrorists were captured a few days later, after an extensive manhunt.

The demolitions were carried out after the petitions of the terrorists’ families to the High Court were rejected and following a significant delay ordered by then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who stopped all home demolitions in order to appease President Joe Biden, who visited the country in mid-July.

During the operation, Arab rioters attacked the IDF soldiers, burned tires and threw rocks. The forces responded with measures to disperse the demonstrations.

The home demolitions are meant to serve as deterrence for potential terrorists plotting future attacks.

In related news, the IDF and other Israeli security forces conducted counterterrorism activities on Sunday night in a number of locations in Judea and Samaria, including in the villages of Beit Kahil, Jebel Mawalah, Marda, and Kfar Kalil.

The forces arrested two wanted men in the city of Halhol. During the operation, the troops shot at suspects who had thrown fireworks at them.

In the village of Dura, near Hebron, the forces located and confiscated weapons, followed by Palestinian violence that included throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails as well as shooting fireworks at the IDF.

IDF soldiers also operated in the villages of Beit Furik and Yabed, where they arrested two more wanted persons.

A total of four wanted persons were arrested throughout Judea and Samaria. There were no Israeli casualties.

The arrests were made as part of Operation Wave Breaker, Israel’s counterterrorism initiative following several deadly terror attacks that the country experienced in recent months.