‘Collective punishment’: Israel demolishes Palestinian homes

Israel’s policy of demolishing the family homes of Palestinians accused of attacking Israelis is considered a war crime.

The large contingent of Israeli soldiers poured into Ramallah al-Tahta (lower Ramallah) in the Old City area, cordoning off the family home of 27-year-old Islam Farroukh.

According to residents, the Israelis spent hours planting explosives that later pulverized the Faroukh family’s apartment.

Video footage of the operation showed soldiers painstakingly planting explosives in the walls of the home before the massive blast that turned the spacious apartment to ruins and rubble, while also blowing out the windows of homes in the neighborhood.

“My son is still under arrest and has not been tried yet,” Islam’s mother Abeer Farroukh told Al Jazeera.

“How is the house blown up in such a way that affected the whole neighborhood, before a fair trial for my son?” she asked.