Israel Demolishes Home of Tel Aviv Shooter
Israeli forces on Tuesday demolished the apartment of the shooter behind a terrorist attack in March that killed one and critically injured two others.
An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed in a statement that Mutaz Khawaja’s apartment in the central West Bank town of Ni’lin had been demolished. All other residents of the four-story apartment building were evacuated before Khawaja’s first-floor apartment was destroyed.
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WAFA, the official Palestinian Authority news agency, reported that about 50 vehicles entered Ni’lin prior to the destruction, surrounding several buildings. At least two Palestinians were injured in the resulting clashes, WAFA said.
According to the Israeli military statement, Palestinian youths attacked Israeli forces with burning tires, fireworks, rocks, and an explosive device. Israeli forces “responded with riot dispersal means.”
The shooting took place on the evening of March 9 in a bustling area of Tel Aviv. The 23-year-old Khawaja, a member of the armed Palestinian group Hamas, shot three men in a café at point-blank range and was then killed by police and armed civilians while trying to flee. One of the men Khawaja shot, 32-year-old Or Eshkar, died in the hospital 11 days after the attack.
Israel regularly demolishes the homes of terrorists following attacks, claiming that the practice serves to deter future acts of terrorism. Human rights groups have criticized the policy as a form of collective punishment.
