The Shuafat refugee camp was put under lockdown Wednesday when Israeli forces demolished the family home of Ibrahim al-Akkari, who was killed last year after carrying out a vehicular attack in Jerusalem.
Locals told Ma’an that more than 1,200 Israeli soldiers accompanied by Israeli police raided the cramped camp -- sealed by the forces since the morning -- preventing residents from entering or exiting.
Prior to the demolition, Israeli forces entered the al-Akkari residence -- home to Ibrahim's wife and five children -- in preparation to bring the home down with explosives, his family’s lawyer, Midhat Dibah, told Ma’an.
Clashes erupted in al-Akkari’s neighborhood between residents and Israeli forces following the demolition, according to Thaer Fasfous, a spokesperson of the Fatah movement in the refugee camp.
Clashes also erupted in the town of Anata -- adjacent to Shuafat -- where locals said that Israeli forces opened live fire at residents.
An Israeli police spokesperson, Luba al-Samri, said in a statement prior to the demolition that "heavily armed police and border guard forces deployed in Shufat camp around home of the perpetrator,” referring to the home of al-Akkari.
Forces were instructed to forcefully stop attempts by residents to cause disturbances or prevent the demolition, al-Samri said.
A weapon as well as ammunition were confiscated from homes in the refugee camp during the police deployment, al-Samri added.
The police spokesperson later confirmed the demolition of the al-Akkari home, which took place under the order of the Israeli army's chief of staff.
The home is the most recent case of punitive demolitions carried out by Israeli authorities on the homes of Palestinians suspected of carrying out attacks on Israeli military and civilians.
Ibrahim al-Akkari was shot dead after he drove his car into a light rail stop in Jerusalem on Nov. 5, 2014, killing an Israeli soldier and injuring 13 others.
A 60-year-old Palestinian later succumbed to wounds sustained during the attack.
The al-Akkari family received a demolition order on their home within a week of Ibrahim’s attack, and the Israeli Supreme court in December 2014 rejected an appeal by the al-Akkari family to halt the demolition.
The family’s lawyer told Ma’an at the time that the court was “basing its decision on the strategy of the Israeli Ministry of Defense according to which demolition orders must be carried out in order to achieve deterrence.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in October pledged to expedite punitive home demolitions, despite an Israeli military committee report that said the policy does not deter future attacks and increases hostility against Israel, according to rights group Hamoked.
