Israeli forces destroy house of Palestinian killed after alleged stabbing attack in Hebron

Israeli forces early Thursday destroyed the interior walls of the family house of a Palestinian killed about five months ago following an alleged stabbing attack in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, said security sources.

Israeli forces stormed the Hebron neighborhood of Jabal al-Sharif and cordoned off the family house of Ehab Miswada.

The army gave the Miswada family 10 minutes only to leave their house before carrying out the planned demolition.

Israeli soldiers manually destroyed the interior walls of the apartment where Miswada, 21, used to live, causing extensive destruction to furnuture and other contents.

Miswada was shot dead by Israeli forces in the vicinity of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron’s Old City on December 7 after he allegedly stabbed and wounded an Israeli settler in his 40s.

Miswada’s family house was the latest to be destroyed in line with Israel’s policy of punitive demolitions of family houses of Palestinians suspected of carrying out attacks on Israeli targets.

Israel resorts to punitively demolish the family homes of any Palestinians' – as means of deterrence - accused of involvement in attacks against Israelis, a policy that Israel does not use against Israeli settlers who are involved in fatal attacks against Palestinians.

This policy was widely condemned by human rights organizations describing it 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,” added 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.”

Amnesty international said that “collective punishment is never permissible under any circumstances.

Source: WAFA