Bennett meets with the Hajbi family
Bennett meets with the Hajbi familyBennet's Facebook

Calling it his "duty towards bereaved families", Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) called on the government to step up the home demolitions of terrorists.

Bennett's remarks came during a visit with the family of Ziv Hajbi, who was murdered in a shooting attack earlier this month at the Barkan Industrial Zone. Kim Levengrond-Yehezkel, 28, was also killed in the attack.

According to Bennett, home demolitions "are punishments for the terrorist who brutally murdered Ziv and Kim but this is mainly deterrence for future terrorists".

"As I said in the past...the defense establishment should take these simple steps as a first step. Before a military operation, before bringing in military forces," said Bennett, adding that it was "a disgrace" that 102 homes belonging to terrorists have not yet been destroyed.

"The fact that the families of terrorists receive an allowance is a disgrace. Just a disgrace," continued the Education Minister, referring to the monthly payouts the Palestinian Authority gives to the families of those who have killed Israelis.

"I will continue to push the issue into the relevant security forums and insist on destroying the houses of the terrorists and stopping the funds for their families. This is our duty towards the bereaved families, but more than that is our obligation to all the citizens of the State of Israel."

Bennett's visit comes as the massive manhunt continues after Ashraf Naalwa, the 23-year-old Arab terrorist who shot and killed two Israelis in a factory at the Barkan industrial zone.

On Wednesday, security forces apprehended a Palestinian Authority resident over suspicions that the man aided Naalwa.

During raids in the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Tulkarem and the neighboring Arab village of Danaba, Israeli security forces arrested a number of suspects in a joint operation of the IDF, Border Police, Israel Police, and Shin Bet internal security agency.