The Israel Defense Forces during an overnight operation in Judea on Wednesday demolished the home of the terrorist who carried out a deadly attack at the region’s Gush Etzion Junction on Nov. 18.
Hebron terrorist Amran al-Atrash was part of a cell that carried out a combined ramming and stabbing attack in which Aharon Cohen, 71, from nearby Kiryat Arba, was killed and three others were wounded.
Several explosive materials were discovered in the vehicle used by the terrorists to run over the victims, according to a Nov. 18 IDF statement.
The Gush Etzion Junction is a major crossroads in Judea, located south of Bethlehem. It has been the scene of countless attacks.
“The demolition of the terrorist’s home constitutes closing the circle in the framework of the fight against terrorism,” the IDF said on Thursday.
The security establishment believes that the demolition of Palestinian terrorists’ homes bolsters deterrence and help discourage future attacks.
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.
Overnight on Tuesday, IDF soldiers worked to demolish the Samaria home of Ahmad al-Rub, a 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.
