Israeli forces break into homes of synagogue attack suspects

Israeli forces break into homes of synagogue attack suspects

JERUSALEM (Ma’an) – Israeli forces on Sunday broke into the homes of two Palestinians from occupied East Jerusalem who were shot dead after they attacked Israelis worshiping in a synagogue in November 2014.Family of Ghassan and Udayy Abu Jamal told Ma’an that Israeli forces took photos of the interior and exterior of their homes, as well as the roads that lead to them in the Jabal al-Mukabbir neighborhood, without giving explanation.

The forces also raided the home of Ghassan’s father and brothers, and questioned family members of both Ghassan and Udayy Abu Jamal before taking their photos, including of the families' children.

Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld had no information on Sunday's incident.Gassan, 31, and his cousin Udayy, 22 killed four rabbis and an Israeli police officer in the Jerusalem synagogue before being shot dead by police last fall.

Sunday's incident comes as Israel has taken several retaliatory measures towards the two men's families since the attack, ordering the demolition of their homes, ordering Ghassan's wife to move to the West Bank, and revoking social benefits from their children, including medical coverage.

Among other measures of intimidation, Israel has used punitive house demolitions for years and the policy was halted in 2005 after the Israeli army said they had no proven deterrent value and instead were likely to encourage violence.

Despite this Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu continued using the policy, ordering the demolition of homes of those responsible for car attacks on Israelis earlier this year in an effort to deter future attacks.

Human rights watchdogs and the international community have condemned the practice as collective punishment against the families of perpetrators.

AFP contributed to this report.