Israeli army demolishes home of Palestinian detainee accused of December deadly attack in West Bank

BEIRUT — The Israeli army on Tuesday demolished the home of a Palestinian detainee accused of carrying out a deadly attack on a bus in the occupied West Bank last December.

The detainee, identified as Thabet Massalmeh, according to AFP, is accused of participating in a shooting near Bethlehem in December 2024 that resulted in the death of an Israeli settler. The operation left the detainee’s wife, parents and three children homeless. They live in the village of Beit Awwa, west of Hebron in the southern occupied Palestinian territory, reported Al Jazeera.

This punitive measure comes a day after a new shooting attack on a bus in East Jerusalem, in the Ramot neighborhood, which left at least six dead, according to Israeli emergency services.

On Tuesday, the Israeli army said it had completed “mapping the homes of the alleged assailants” of the latest attack, who it claims have been identified and live near Ramallah, in preparation for future demolitions.

On X, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz also announced Tuesday morning that he had ordered the imposition of “civilian sanctions” against the relatives and residents of the villages of the alleged assailants in the East Jerusalem attack, as well as the demolition of “any illegal structure” and the revocation of “750 work and entry permits” for entry into Israeli territory.

Meanwhile, two other Palestinians were arrested in the Hebron governorate — one in a village west of Dura and another in the locality of Bani Na’im — after new raids carried out by Israeli forces, reported the Wafa news agency.

According to the Israeli NGO B’Tselem, at least 26 homes have been destroyed in 2025 as a punitive measure in the occupied West Bank, displacing more than 70 people.