Israeli army engineers destroyed the West Bank home of an Islamic militant leader today after violence rippled through the occupied territories.
The army and Palestinian security sources identified the militant as Mr Mohammed Brewesh, a leader of the Islamic Jihad group which has carried out suicide bombings and gun attacks on Israelis in a Palestinian uprising now in its third year.
The demolition of the Brewesh home in Beit Khalil north of Hebron was part of a punitive Israeli policy which officials say has deterred military violence. Palestinians and human rights groups denounce the policy as collective punishment.
In the Rafah refugee camp in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, Israeli tanks stood guard as bulldozers knocked down four homes that did not belong to militants, Palestinian witnesses said.
Military sources, however, said the army had destroyed only an empty shack used by militants as a hiding place for explosives and as a shelter for gunmen shooting on troops.
Palestinian President Mr Yasser Arafat said earlier this week he feared Israel could exploit a possible US-led war against Iraq to escalate military attacks on Palestinians. Israel, which reoccupied much of the West Bank last year following suicide bombings, says it acts only in self-defence.
Israeli Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon, elected two years ago on the strength of his hawkish image, faces national polls on January 28th. Opinion polls today showed his Likud party holding on to power despite a cash-for-votes scandal which has prompted a police inquiry.