IDF troops kill three gunmen after coming under fire during home demolition
The soldiers were carrying out the demolition of the home of Muhammed Abu Shaheen, who the Shin Bet says was the trigger man in the murder of Danny Gonen in June.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERSUpdated: NOVEMBER 16, 2015 12:58IDF soldiers come under fire during house demolition of terrorist who killed Danny Gonen
IDF troops shot and killed three Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank on Monday morning, after they came under fire while carrying out the demolition of a terrorist’s home in Kalandiya, the IDF spokesperson said.According to the IDF, after the gunfight, clashes broke out in the village, with rioters throwing rocks, firebombs, and using explosive devices against the soldiers, who escaped without injury.The soldiers from the combat engineering corps and special forces units were carrying out the demolition of the home of Muhammed Abu Shaheen, who the Shin Bet says was the trigger man in the murder of Israeli Danny Gonen in June. Gonen was killed near the settlement of Dolev after he was flagged down by a Palestinian man on the side of the road – believed to be Abu Shaheen - who fired at Gonen at point blank range with a 9mm handgun.Abu Shaheen was indicted in August along with six other Palestinians, who security forces say formed a cell that carried out a series of attacks, including the murders of Malachi Rosenfeld and Danny Gonen.Abu Shaheen is also suspected of other failed attempts to murder Jews and to have fired on soldiers in Kalandiya on a number of occasions.The demolition on Monday follows the demolition by the IDF Engineering Corps on Saturday of the homes of four terrorists responsible for killing Israelis during the recent wave of terror attacks.They include the Kfar Silwad house of Maad Hamed, one of the men responsible for the shooting death of Malachi Rosenfeld, 27, of Kochav HaShahar, who was killed near Shvut Rachel in June. The three other houses belonged to members of the cell that murdered Naama and Eitam Henkin in a shooting attack in October on the road between Elon Moreh and Itamar in the West Bank.The demolitions were approved by the High Court of Justice on Thursday. The court also rejected the demolition of an additional terrorists’ house.On Sunday night, the Shin Bet announced that they had arrested the chief suspect in the murder of a Rabbi Ya’akov Litman, 40, and his son Netanel, 18, who were shot dead outside of Otniel in the West Bank on Friday, while en route to a pre-wedding celebration for one of the Litman daughters.
In a statement on the arrest, the Shin Bet said that the alleged trigger man, Shadi Ahmed Matawa, a 28-year-old father of two from Hebron, was turned in by his father and brother. The Shin Bet said that the two men decided to turn him in because they feared that their house would be demolished and that cooperating with authorities could prevent the possible demolition.