Eighteen-year-old Dvir Sorek was found stabbed to death near his hometown of Migdal Oz in Samaria. Sorek had gone to Jerusalem to buy books for his teacher as an end-of-year present and was returning home when he was targeted by Palestinian terrorists. His body was found by the side of the road, still clutching the books he had purchased, by popular Israel novelist and outspoken left-wing activist David Grossman.

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Cousins Nasir Asafra, 24, and Qassem Asafra, 30, were arrested shortly after the attack and charged with Sorek's murder. Three others were also indicted on terror charges in connection with the attack.

The military said local residents clashed with the troops at the scene.

Israel maintains that the practice of razing terrorists' homes is an effective means of discouraging future attacks, though it has been criticized by human rights groups as a form of collective punishment and by some analysts as an ineffective deterrent measure.

Defense Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement that those who carry out terror attacks will be punished.

"Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that there will be no more terror, but we must exact a heavy price from anyone who raises a hand against an Israeli citizen," he said.

Speaking to Channel 13 News, Sorek's father, Yoav, criticized the fact that the homes were not razed sooner.

"When it could have strengthened deterrence and maybe stopped the next attack. The inflated caution and rights to delay via the courts ignore the fact that homes are not lives, you can rebuild them," he said.

Fatah responded by announcing a general strike, including educational institutions, in Beit Kahil, "In solidarity with the fighters whose homes were destroyed by the occupation," Walla News reported.

A Hamas spokesperson said that the razing of the homes was part of "ongoing racist terrorist behavior and ongoing aggression against our people."

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The family home of Islam Yusuf Abu Hamid, located in the Al-Amari Refugee Camp near the West Bank city of Al-Bireh north of Jerusalem, was razed early Thursday morning, according to the Palestinian Quds news agency.

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The Palestinian publication claimed that the demolition was carried out for a second time in order "to prevent the reconstruction of the destroyed house."

Abu Hamid was sentenced to life in prison last year after being convicted for the murder of Staff Sgt. Ronen Lubarsky, a commando in the elite Duvdevan unit, after dropping a marble slab on his head during an arrest operation.

Abu Hamid apparently murdered Lubarsky in revenge for the death of his brother, who was killed by Duvdevan soldiers in 1994.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the second demolition of Hamid's home, calling it "collective punishment by the occupation forces against the Palestinian people. The international community must act against Israel, which continues to perpetrate crimes against Palestinian civilians."

Abbas issued an order to rebuild Hamid's home and even promised to fund the construction himself.

The statement by the PA and its leader sparked outrage in Israel and among bereaved families.

Hamas, too, condemned the demolition of Hamid's home. In a statement, the terrorist organization, which controls the Gaza Strip, said: "We will rebuild the home that was destroyed by the Zionist occupation forces."

Ronen Lubarsky's father, Vladimir, said, "It's sad that only after the media intervened in this disgrace, the terrorist's house was demolished again," said. "To my immense regret, other terrorist homes have been rebuilt and will be rebuilt, or haven't been demolished at all. [PA President Mahmoud Abbas] forgot that he doesn't run the state of Israel, and we will fight so that the terrorist's home, if it is rebuilt, will be destroyed again and again."

Lubarsky added: "Bereaved families shouldn't have to beg for the demolitions to be implemented. I hope the next government raises the banner of a determined war on terror, promoting deterrence packages that include the death sentence against vile terrorists, and putting an end to their excellent prison conditions."

Parts of this article were originally published by i24NEWS

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