Homes of alleged Palestinian attackers demolished

The Israeli military on Thursday said its forces demolished the homes of two Palestinians accused of being behind a deadly blast in the West Bank last year.

Israel says Walid Hanatsheh and Yazan Mughamis were part of a cell that carried out the attack in August, which killed 17-year-old Israeli Rina Shnerb and injured her father and brother.

Hanatsheh and Mughamis, along with other alleged members of the cell, are currently facing trial in an Israeli court.

Bulldozers tore down Mughamis's home in the West Bank city of Bir Zeit.

At Hanatsheh's home in the city of Ramallah, soldiers used jackhammers to destroy the interior walls of the apartment.

During the operation early Thursday, the military said dozens of Palestinians burned tires and threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the Israeli forces.

It said its forces responded with “riot dispersal means,” which usually means tear gas and stun grenades.

Israel says demolishing the family homes of alleged militants deters violence.

Critics say the tactic amounts to collective punishment.