The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Wednesday that the home of the terrorist who last month killed seven people outside a synagogue in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood of Jerusalem will be demolished.
The family of terrorist Alqam Khayri, 21, who was shot and killed by police during the Jan. 27 attack, had been notified of the decision, according to the Israeli military.
Israeli security forces have already sealed off the home in a-Tur, located in the eastern part of the Israeli capital.
Sealing the homes of terrorists often precedes demolishing them, a process that could take several months given that the structures need to be mapped out by the military, and court battles sometimes ensue.
Indeed, Khayri’s family can appeal the move to Israel’s High Court of Justice, but such attempts rarely succeed. In some instances, however, the court has limited demolition orders to include only the portion of a home used by the terrorist.
The day after Khayri’s attack, another Palestinian terrorist shot two Israelis, a father and son, near the entrance to the City of David National Park adjacent to Jerusalem’s Old City.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to respond to the Shabbat attacks quickly and decisively.
“Our response will be strong, swift and precise. Whoever tries to harm us—we will harm them and everyone who assists them,” he said.
The Israeli Cabinet has since adopted a proposal to also seal the homes of terrorists who commit non-lethal attacks, with the policy to be applied to the home of the 13-year-old Palestinian who shot and seriously wounded the father and son in Jerusalem.
Muhammad Aliyat, of the capital’s Silwan/Shiloach neighborhood, was shot and killed by police during the attack.
“A terrorist is a terrorist, even if he has not succeeded in carrying out his vile plans. Glad that the Cabinet accepted my proposal, and we will continue to fight terrorism by all means,” said Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at the time.
He added that he would soon propose a bill to institute the death penalty for terrorists.
