Israel razes family’s home – again

‘This is an enemy who thinks by such actions they will terrorise us and make us fear them’

Israeli occupation forces yesterday demolished the family home of a Palestinian charged with killing an Israeli occupation soldier in the occupied West Bank, the military and witnesses said.

The Israeli regime says Islam Abu Humaid, 32, threw a 18kg marble plate from a rooftop, killing an Israeli special forces sergeant, Ronen Lubarsky, 20, during a May arrest raid in Al Amari refugee camp in the Palestinian city of Ramallah.

Israeli occupation forces arrived at the Al Amari camp before dawn yesterday, sealed off the four-storey Abu Humaid house and destroyed it, the military said in a statement.

The Abu Humaid family home has been destroyed before and rebuilt. Two other Abu Humaid sons are in Israeli custody, charged with the killings of five Israelis, and another two face lengthy incarceration for serious security offences. A sixth Abu Humaid son was killed by Israeli forces in 1994 after himself being involved in a deadly ambush against an Israeli intelligence officer in the West Bank.

According to the indictment against him, Islam Abu Humaid told interrogators that he wanted to avenge the injury of one of his brothers in a previous Israeli regime raid. “What can we do? This is an enemy who thinks that by doing such actions they will terrorise us and make us fear them,” said Islam’s mother, Latifa Abu Humaid.

“On the contrary, our animosity becomes stronger, and with it our perseverance and strength.” Rights groups have criticised family-home demolitions of Palestinian attackers as acts of vengeance and collective punishment.