The home of one of the terrorists who carried out a deadly attack in Jaffa in October will be demolished, the Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday.
“The military commander announced yesterday his intention to seize and demolish the apartment in Hebron where the terrorist Muhammad Masak lived,” the IDF said. “On Oct. 1, 2024, Masak carried out a terror attack at a Jaffa light rail station, killing seven people, both Israelis and foreigners, and injuring 15 others.”
Masak, 19, was killed at the scene by police officers, municipal security and armed civilians, who also severely wounded another attacker, Ahmad Himoni, a 25-year-old man also from Hebron.
Himoni was indicted on terrorism charges in November.
The charges against Himoni include seven counts of aggravated murder as a terrorist act, 12 counts of attempted murder as a terrorist act, illegal entry into Israel and jointly carrying weapons for terrorist purposes.
Murdered in the attack were Revital Bronstein, Shachar Goldman, Victor Samson Green, Jonas Krosis, Ilya Nozadze, Inbar Segev-Weigder and Nadia Sokolenco.
According to the indictment, they illegally entered Israel carrying bags labeled in Hebrew to avoid suspicion. The bags contained disassembled M-16 rifles, ammunition storage magazines, ammunition and knives.
The terrorists used a company based in eastern Jerusalem, Hamoudi Transportation Ltd., to take them to Jaffa. When they arrived at Bloomfield Stadium, they asked if there was a soccer match as they had planned to carry out a large-scale attack in a crowded area of Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
A driver told them that there were no matches due to a possible Iranian missile attack that evening. The attackers later entered a mosque, assembled their weapons in the ablution room after prayers and used threats to make the worshippers stay inside while they went out to carry out their attack.
Around 7 p.m., the two terrorists saw a light rail train heading toward a station at Jerusalem Boulevard and ran toward the platform. Masak opened fire on the passengers on the platform and then inside the train while Himoni stabbed several victims.
“The attackers acted with extraordinary brutality, targeting elderly individuals, women and children, ignoring their screams. Himoni reportedly stated during interrogation that he would have used an explosive device on Jews if he had one,” according to the news portal Tel Aviv Online.
Masak’s rifle then jammed and they headed into a barbershop to fix it before returning to the platform. Masak resumed shooting at the departing train while Himoni stabbed more victims.
Himoni attempted to stab a passerby who then pulled out a gun and shot him. Masak was killed on the spot.
“The indictment highlights the attackers’ nationalistic motives, citing Himoni’s admission during interrogation and their deliberate targeting of defenseless civilians, including a mother shielding her infant on the train,” Tel Aviv Online reported.
Additionally, charges were filed against Hamoudi Transportation Ltd. owner Muhammad Abd al-Nabi, 31, for negligently facilitating their illegal entry into Israel. Two drivers were charged—Kazem Muzaffar, 31, and Yazan Nashashibi, 35. They face charges of reckless manslaughter, aggravated harm and facilitating the illegal transport of foreign residents.
The prosecution has requested the detention of all those charged until the end of legal proceedings, “citing the severe and calculated nature of the crimes.”
