The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday demolished the Samaria residence of a Palestinian terrorist who was involved in the murder of a pregnant mother and her unborn son in May.
Maher Samara, together with other assailants, carried out the May 14 shooting on a road near the Jewish community of Brukhin, located some four miles west of Ariel near the Samaria security barrier.
Tzeela Gez, 30, was shot as she was on her way to deliver her fourth son. She was pronounced dead the next morning. Her baby was delivered after the attack but died on May 29, having suffered extreme oxygen deprivation. Gez’s husband, Hananel, sustained light wounds.
The suspected shooter, Nael Samara, was eliminated four days later in a counter-terror operation in the nearby Palestinian town of Bruqin. He was shot as he approached troops while carrying a suspicious bag and shouting Allahu Akbar (“God is great” in Arabic), according to the IDF.
Three other Palestinian suspects, including Maher Samara and his brother Jamil, were later arrested in connection with the shooting.
Following the terror attack, the Yesha Council umbrella group of Jewish communities stated in Hebrew that it is “shocked and saddened by the terrible attack in Samaria and embraces the family at this difficult time.
“The only way to prevent such serious attacks is to turn the city centers and villages from which the murderers emerge into ruins,” the council continued, adding: “"We have been warning about this for a long time.”
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 early 2023, demolitions all but stopped, according to an Israel Hayom investigation carried out with Zionist NGO Im Tirtzu. However, in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, the army has picked up the pace, issuing demolition orders for a significant number of homes.
