Israeli police seal up family home of Jerusalem attacker

Security personnel sealed up the family home of a Palestinian man who rammed his car into a Jerusalem bus stop, killing three Israelis and injuring several others, Israeli police said Sunday.

Police released a video showing police and soldiers welding the doors and windows of the apartment in east Jerusalem shut. The action came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the dwelling sealed immediately after the Friday attack. It was the first step ahead of the possible demolition of the apartment.

The attack came amid escalating violence across the region, where so far this year, 45 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Ten Israelis have been killed over the same period, according to AP.

Three Israelis, including brothers aged 8 and 6, were killed Friday when Palestinian driver Hussein Qaraqa careened into a bus stop in the east Jerusalem settlement of Ramot. Asher and Yaakov Paley's father was one of five people injured in the incident. Qaraqa, 32, was killed by police at the scene.

Police had arrested and interrogated Qaraqa’s family almost immediately after he carried out Friday’s deadly attack. It said that a court had extended the detention of his two brothers and that the investigation was ongoing.

Qaraqa’s family said he had been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder and had been released from a hospital just two days before the incident.

Israel says demolishing Palestinian attackers' homes serves as a deterrent meant to prevent future attacks. But human rights groups say the practice amounts to collective punishment and leaves relatives who had nothing to do with the attack homeless.

The surge in violence has prompted a number of international calls for calm, including from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit to the region last month.

Israel has occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in violation of international law since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, refusing to withdraw or allow the establishment of a viable Palestinian state.

It has built hundreds of illegal settlements in the Palestinian territory.