Fighting its relentless war on Palestinian terrorism, IDF forces destroyed the homes of two Palestinian terrorists responsible for the murder of four Israelis.
By: Aryeh savir, World Israel News
Israeli forces on Monday demolished the Jerusalem homes of two Palestinian terrorists responsible for deadly attacks against Israelis in the capital last October.
One terrorist, Bahaa Elayan, 22, shot passengers on a bus on October 13, murdering three people, including one American citizen, together with Bilal Ghanem, 23.
The same day, Alaa Abu Jamal, 33, rammed his car into pedestrians and then attacked people with a meat cleaver, murdering one and wounding eight.
Both terrorists were shot and killed at the scene by Israeli security forces.
Ghanem was shot during the attack, but survived his wounds. He will stand trial and is charged with three counts of murder and 11 counts of attempted murder.
Israel security officials say home demolitions, such as Monday’s operation in the Jabel Mukaber neighbourhood, are an effective tool to deter future terrorists from executing their deadly assault.
The High Court of Justice approved the demolition orders for the houses on December 23.
Since the current round of Palestinian violence that erupted in mid-September, 26 people have been killed in Palestinian terror attacks.
In the meantime, security forces continue to search for the terrorist who shot and murdered two and wounded eight in Tel Aviv on Friday.
IDF forces operating in Hebron. (IDF)
“A major effort in the field is being made by many forces; there are continuous intelligence efforts. This effort is also being made with the assistance of Israeli civilians who are showing awareness and responsibility,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Sunday cabinet meeting.
Similarly, the IDF continued its counter-terror operations throughout Judea and Samaria and arrested 13 Palestinians terror suspects on Sunday night and early Monday morning, the IDF announced.
In the Shechem (Nablus) area, the IDF arrested six Palestinians, four of them for taking part in riots and two for their membership in Hamas terror organization.
The rest came from the Ramallah, Hebron and Jenin area.
AP contributed to this report.