Israeli troops seal off home of Palestinian accused of planning attack

Rasa - Israeli forces have sealed off the home of a Palestinian over his alleged role in a deadly shooting attack in Tel Aviv, which left four Israelis dead in June.

News ID: 424934

Date: 10 November 2016 - 21:10

RNA - Palestinian witnesses said Thursday that the home of Younes Zein, 22, in Yatta, located south of the occupied West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron), was sealed off overnight.

The witnesses said that Israeli forces poured concrete into Zein's single-room block adjacent to the family home.

Clashes erupted later with the Israeli forces using tear gas to disperse angry Palestinian demonstrators.

An Israeli spokeswoman claimed that Zein had "assisted in the planning and supplied the weapons” for a shooting attack at a food and retail market in Tel Aviv in June. Four Israelis were killed in the attack.

The attackers were dressed as ultra-Orthodox Jews, but the police later claimed that they were of Palestinian origin.

Police announced that one assailant was arrested and another was taken to hospital after being shot following the incident.

The Israeli sources later blamed two Palestinian cousins, Mohammad and Khaled Makhamrah, for opening fire at the shopping center.

The Makhamrah cousins as well as Zein are facing charges of conspiracy to murder and attempted murder at the Tel Aviv district court.

The Israeli forces had razed the homes of the Makhamrah cousins in August.

Israeli troops have demolished or sealed off several Palestinian houses on similar accusations over the past few months.

The occupied territories have witnessed a fresh wave of tensions ever since Israeli forces restricted the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem al-Quds in August 2015.

More than 250 Palestinians have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces in the tensions since the beginning of last October.

Israel holds thousands of Palestinian minors

Meanwhile, an independent Palestinian rights organization has said that Israeli forces have arrested more than 9,000 minors across the occupied territories since 2000.

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights says Israel’s move runs counter to international law and violates the rights of children.

The center has urged the international community and UN agencies to pressure Israel to end the arbitrary detention of Palestinian minors.

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