The Israel Defense Forces overnight on Sunday demolished the Judea home of Ahmed Himoni, a terrorist responsible for the Oct. 1, 2024, shooting attack at a Jaffa light rail station that killed seven civilians.
IDF soldiers, including from the Yahalom elite combat engineering unit, operated in the city of Hebron to destroy the residence of Himoni, who was part of the terror cell that carried out the deadly shooting, which killed seven Israelis and foreigners, in addition to wounding 15.
The deadly casualties in the attack were identified as Revital Bronstein, Shachar Goldman, Victor Samson Green, Jonas Krosis, Ilya Nozadze, Inbar Segev-Weigder and Nadia Sokolenco.
Himoni, who was severely wounded when he was neutralized by security forces, was indicted on terrorism offenses in November.
The second attacker, Muhammad Mask, also from Hebron, was killed. The two terrorists were shot at the scene by police officers, municipal security and armed civilians.
The charges against Himoni include seven counts of aggravated murder as a terrorist act, 12 counts of attempted murder as a terrorist act, illegal entry into Israel and jointly carrying weapons for terrorist purposes.
The demolition of Palestinian terrorists’ homes has been a subject of controversy for years. Israel’s security establishment believes that the policy bolsters deterrence and prevents further terrorist activity.
In 2023, demolitions all but stopped, according to an Israel Hayom investigation carried out with the Zionist NGO, Im Tirtzu. However, in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, the army has picked up the pace, issuing orders for demolishing a significant number of terrorists’ homes.
