Israeli forces on 17 July demolished the homes of three Palestinians killed earlier after carrying out separate attacks, escalating long-running military measures in the occupied West Bank. Military engineers used explosives to level the family residences of Mohammad Asad Nazzal, Wael Lahlooh and Mohammad Zakarneh in Qabatiya, a town south of Jenin. Nazzal had been identified by Israel as one of the gunmen behind a deadly hotel assault, while Lahlooh was accused of participating in an attack in the Jordan Valley. Zakarneh was also said to have taken part in armed operations against Israeli targets. Israel maintains that punitive home demolitions serve as a deterrent, a claim rejected by Palestinian leaders and human-rights groups, which say the policy amounts to collective punishment. The latest blasts sent plumes of smoke over Qabatiya and came amid a resurgence of violence across the territory.