Israel demolishes home of Palestinian accused of attack earlier this year

The Israeli army has demolished the home of a Palestinian accused of carrying out an attack which killed an Israeli earlier this year, the military said on Wednesday.

On 10 July, two attackers killed Shalev Zvuluny, 22, in a shopping area near Jerusalem, before the Israeli army shot them dead.

On Wednesday, Israeli army bulldozers entered the village of Bazzaryah in the occupied West Bank, destroying the family home of one of the attackers after it had been evacuated.

Israeli forces "demolished the home of the terrorist who carried out the shooting and stabbing attack at the Gush junction", the army said in a statement.

Hazem Yassine, head of the Bazzaryah municipal council, denounced what he said was a "heinous crime". 

He told AFP that Israeli forces had sealed off the village's entrances since dawn in preparation for the demolition.

"Schools were closed as a precaution," he said, adding that the family of the alleged attacker had moved out around a month ago after being notified of the decision to demolish the house.

An AFP photographer saw children climbing on piles of rubble after the demolition, waving the Palestinian flag.

Israel regularly demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks - an act which has been denounced as collective punishment and is widely considered by legal experts to be a violation of international law.