Israeli troops demolished on Monday, March 4 the house of a Palestinian accused of killing an Israeli settler last year, following a military raid into Al-Makhfiya, Nablus.

The apartment of Moaz al-Masry, who was killed in a military raid on Nablus following the April 7 attack, was demolished in the early hours, Palestinian witnesses and the Israeli military told AFP. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that their medics treated about 15 people after Israeli forces fired tear gas during the raid on the West Bank city of Nablus. Troops stormed the Al-Makhfiya neighbourhood in Nablus overnight and surrounded Masry’s house, a witness told AFP. Israel routinely demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks, arguing that such measures act as a deterrent, while critics say that it amounts to collective punishment.The Red Crescent told AFP that they evacuated multiple residents, including children, from the building housing Masry’s apartment.

Violence in the West Bank flared even before the war in the Gaza Strip between Hamas militants and Israel erupted on October 7.

Since the war broke out, at least 420 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli troops and settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry based in Ramallah.

Israel has been occupying the West Bank – including east Jerusalem, which it later unilaterally annexed – since the Arab-Israeli war of 1967.

Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law, have ballooned over the decades and are seen as a key barrier to peace with the Palestinians.

With AFP

Subscribe to our newsletter

Newsletter signup

Please wait...

Thank you for sign up!