IDF troops seal homes of 2 gunmen who killed 2 soldiers near Hebron

IDF troops seal homes of 2 gunmen who killed 2 soldiers near Hebron

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

IDF troops sealed the homes of the two Palestinian gunmen who carried out Friday’s deadly shooting attack against soldiers at a checkpoint in the West Bank city of Hebron.

The military says that overnight, troops operating in Hebron sealed the homes of Mohammad and Firas Jaaba, who killed Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem and wounded three other troops in the shooting attack. Both gunmen were shot dead.

As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks. Sealing the homes of attackers is often a replacement or stopgap for demolishing them. In general, the demolition process takes several months, as the High Court must address appeals by the family, and security forces often wait for an optimal time to enter Palestinian cities or neighborhoods for the operation.

The IDF says the temporary sealing of the homes was approved by Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, and that the military “intends to continue to advance the process of demolishing their homes.”

Meanwhile, the army says that troops apprehended 12 suspects overnight, seized “illegal vehicles,” and captured several weapons during the ongoing operations in Hebron.

The Times of Israel Community.