The Israel Defense Forces overnight on Tuesday demolished the northern Samaria home of Ahmad al-Rub, the Palestinian terrorist who murdered two Israelis on Dec. 26.
Al-Rub, from Qabatiya near Jenin, killed Shimshon Mordechai, 68, and Aviv Maor, 19, while injuring two others, in a series of terror attacks in and around the northern Israeli city of Beit She’an late last month.
The military said on Wednesday that it demolished the Qabatiya home “after an immediate sealing of the terrorist’s house was done some 2.5 weeks ago, during IDF soldiers’ activity in the village after the attack.”
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 14, 2026
The security establishment believes that the demolition of Palestinian terrorists’ homes bolsters deterrence and reduces further terrorism.
In 2023, the demolitions all but stopped, according to an Israel Hayom probe carried out with Israeli NGO Im Tirtzu. However, following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, the army has picked up the pace, issuing orders for the demolition of a significant number of homes.
