The home of Salih Barghouti, who mowed down a group of commuters outside the southern Samaria town of Ofra in December, was destroyed by Israeli troops on Wednesday. The dwelling was located not far from Ofra, in the encampment of Kobar near Ramallah.
Barghouti and his brother, Asem Barghouti, shot seven people, including seven-month pregnant Shira Ish-Ran and her husband, Amichai, on Dec. 9, the last night of Hanukkah. Shira Ish-Ran was seriously wounded in the drive-by attack, and her infant son was delivered by emergency C-section only to die just four days later. The couple named him Amiad Yisrael (“My eternal nation Israel”), and he was buried on the Mount of Olives.
Shira’s father, Chaim Silberstein, thanked the IDF for punishing the terrorist who killed his grandson, telling Israel National News that “this should be only one of a list of actions needed to both punish and deter terrorists and would-be terrorists.”
He said “these actions include destroying the homes of accomplices, expelling of the families and their helpers, preventing ‘pay for slay’ payments, worsening of the hotel-like conditions in the prisons, and the death sentence for convicted murderers. May Hashem avenge the blood of our grandson Amiad Yisrael and all the victims of terrorism.”
IDF soldiers found and killed Barghouti on Dec. 12. The next day, Asem carried out an additional terrorist attack just minutes from Ofra in Givat Asaf, killing Israel Defense Forces’ soldiers Sgt. Yosef Cohen and Staff Sgt. Yovel Mor Yosef, and seriously injuring IDF soldier Netanel Felber.
Asem Barghouti fled the scene but was arrested in January after a month-long manhunt. His home, also in Kobar, was destroyed last month.
