Israeli forces detonate family home of Palestinian man in rare Ramallah raid

Israel’s military injured 13 Palestinians as it demolished the Ramallah home of the family of a 26-year-old Palestinian blamed for a deadly attack in Jerusalem committed late last year.

The military destroyed the house of Islam al-Faroukh, who Israel accused of killing two people and injuring 20 others by detonating explosives at two Jerusalem bus stops in November.

Dozens of Israeli military vehicles accompanied by a bulldozer stormed Ramallah from at least three entrances en route to demolish the Faroukh family home using explosives, The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

The 13 Palestinians were injured while the Israeli military fired tear gas and live bullets at them as they protested the demolition, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

An Israeli army spokesperson said its forces had used live fire to disperse crowds and injuries had been sustained, Haaretz reported.

Israeli intelligence arrested Faroukh on suspicion of committing the Jerusalem attack in December. They claimed the mechanical engineer identified with the Islamic State group and had taught himself how to build explosives.

Israel regularly orders and carries out home demolitions in east Jerusalem and the West Bank — though it rarely commits demolitions or raids in Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The home demolitions have been slammed  by the UN and rights groups as a form of collective punishment.

Israel has also levelled other Palestinian-owned structures it claims were built illegally although Palestinians say planning permits are almost impossible to obtain.

Israel has this year ramped up its demolitions. It demolished or seized almost 300 such structures in the first quarter of 2023, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said last month.

The increase in demolitions followed the election of right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the end of 2022. Netanyahu appointed ministers known for their extreme-right views, who had made violently racist statements against Palestinians in the past.

Israel has illegally occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.