attack
Israel’s army destroys the home of the Tel Aviv attacker
A young man died in the attack on March 9, 2023 in Tel Aviv. photo
© Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
In early March, an assassin shot at passers-by in Tel Aviv, killing a man. As a deterrent, the Israeli army is destroying the relatives’ homes – this collective punishment is nothing new.
Almost three months after a deadly attack in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv, the Israeli army has destroyed the assassin’s apartment. Israeli troops detonated explosive devices on the second floor of a four-story building near Ramallah in the West Bank, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
The apartment belongs to the assassin’s family, and neighbors were also forced to leave the building. Two people were injured in confrontations with residents.
On March 9, the assassin opened fire on passers-by on busy Dizengoff Street in central Tel Aviv. Two young men were seriously injured, one of them died just under two weeks after the attack. The attacker was shot dead by police officers.
Human rights activists see a violation of international law
Israel uses home demolitions as a punitive and deterrent measure. Human rights organizations classify this collective punishment as a violation of international humanitarian law. However, Israel’s highest court has repeatedly allowed home demolitions and dismissed lawsuits against them.
The security situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories has long been extremely tense. Again and again there are clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli military in the West Bank. The army has been carrying out increased raids there since a series of attacks on Israelis that began more than a year ago.
Since the beginning of the year, 116 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, confrontations or after their own attacks. During the same period, 17 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian were killed in attacks.
Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. The Palestinians, on the other hand, are calling for the areas to be a state of their own – with East Jerusalem as the capital.