Israel has demolished the homes of two Palestinians, following separate accusations of attacks that left five people dead, according to reports provided by the Israeli army on Tuesday. The razing of the family houses come as the latest in a series of punitive demolitions that have drawn criticism from rights groups.
The two targeted victims of the demolitions are suspects of the November 19 stabbing and car-ramming attacks which took place in Tel Aviv and at a crossroads in the occupied West Bank.
Mohammed al-Harub is accused of opening fire at a a crossroads near illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank before ramming his car into a group of pedestrians. An Israeli, a Palestinian and an American were killed.
Raid Masalmeh stabbed and killed two Israelis at an office building and car park in Tel Aviv on the same day.
Harub's home was located in Dayr Samet while Masalmeh's was in Dura, both west of Hebron in the southern West Bank. Both men have been arrested.
Since October, 176 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli occupation forces. Twenty-seven Israelis, as well as an American and an Eritrean, have also been killed in the wave of violence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expedited the home demolitions of the alleged attackers' homes as a punitive measure.
Human rights groups condemn the systematic demolitions of Palestinian homes, saying the measure amounts to collective punishment. The groups added that the measures force the suspects' families to suffer for others' alleged acts.
