Israel destroys home of Palestinian attacker

Israeli forces blew up the West Bank home of a Palestinian who took part in an attack in Jerusalem in which a policewoman was killed, the army said Thursday.

"Overnight security forces demolished the house of one of the terrorists who committed the lethal shooting attack at the Damascus gate in Jerusalem on June 16, killing border police officer Hadas Malka," a military spokesman told AFP.

Video footage provided by the army shows soldiers drilling holes into walls and inserting explosives at night.

Then, in the soft light of the morning, an explosion hits a building, which collapses in smoke and dust.

The spokeswoman named the Palestinian assailant as Adel Ankush from Deir Abu Mashal near Ramallah.

The 18-year-old had joined forces with Bara Ata, 18, Osama Ata, 19, in the attack just outside Jerusalem's Old City, according to the Israeli authorities.

Two of them opened fire on a group of officers who returned fire, and a third stabbed Malka, 23, a short distance away before being shot.

All three assailants were killed. Malka died of her wounds.

Israel regularly demolishes the homes of Palestinian attackers, calling it a deterrent against future violence.

However, human rights groups say it amounts to collective punishment, with family members forced to suffer for the acts of relatives.

On Wednesday Israeli forces demolished the West Bank home of a Palestinian who fatally stabbed three Israelis in a nearby Jewish settlement last month.