3 Houses in West Bank Occupied by Terrorists Are Demolished by Israeli Security Forces

Three houses in the West Bank occupied by Arabs who had confessed to terrorist activities against Jews which resulted in deaths were demolished last night by Israeli security forces. Another three houses belonging to Arabs who confessed to terrorist activities but which did not lead to loss of lives were sealed off. Among the houses destroyed were those of the alleged murderers of yeshiva student Aharon Gross in Hebron last July.

The terrorists, whose houses were destroyed — two in Hebron and one in Ramallah — were members of a Moslem religious organization whose members confessed to killing Gross, according to the security forces. Gross was stabbed to death near the Hebron marketplace. His Uzi rifle was stolen and was later found hidden in Hebron.

The sealed houses — all in Hebron — belonged to a three-member terrorist gang who were active in the Al Fatah wing of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Israeli authorities said. That gang had been exposed last October. According to the authorities, the leader of the gang received his military training in the Al Fatah, which included the use of rifles, the preparation of explosives, and the use of hand grenades.

The gang allegedly attacked Israeli targets in the Hebron area between June and September this year. Among the targets were Beit Hadassah and Beit Romano in Hebron occupied by settlers, and an attack against an Israeli vehicle and an Arab policeman in Hebron. Israeli authorities said members of both gangs would be brought to trial in a military court.