JERUSALEM — Israeli troops on Saturday demolished the home of a Palestinian man who fatally shot a Jewish seminary student in an ambush in the occupied West Bank five months ago, the military said.
The demolition took place around dawn in the village of Silat al-Khartiyeh, with troops swinging sledgehammers to break walls and setting off explosives. Residents threw stones and firebombs at soldiers, who then fired live rounds, the army said. Palestinian medics said three Palestinians were injured by live fire and others by tear gas inhalation.
Such demolitions have been denounced by rights groups as collective punishment, and the military suspended the practice for several years, starting in 2005, after concluding it did not serve as an effective deterrent. The army resumed demolitions several years ago and now carries them out routinely in response to attacks in which Palestinians kill Israelis.
In the most recent attack, two Palestinians from the West Bank killed three Israelis and wounded four in a mass stabbing in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish town of Elad in central Israel on Thursday. As of Saturday, the suspected assailants, two young men from the town of Jenin, remained at large.
Officials familiar with the investigation said the attackers arrived in Elad in a vehicle driven by one of the victims and then killed him. At least one attacker also used an axe, according to officials. A gag order has been placed on much of the investigation.
At least 18 Israelis have been killed in five attacks since March, including another stabbing rampage in southern Israel, two shootings in the Tel Aviv area and a shooting last weekend in a West Bank settlement.
Some Israeli media personalities suggested that Israel respond by targeting Yehiyeh Sinwar, Hamas’ top leader in Gaza. On Saturday, the group’s armed wing warned Israel of an “unprecedented response” if Sinwar were hurt. Hamas and Israel have fought four wars and dozens of shorter rounds of cross-border skirmishes since 2008.