Supreme Court Justice Daphne Barak-Erez opposed the demolition of the home of a terrorist who planned a bombing attack on buses in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, citing the fact that, fortunately, no lives were lost.
According to the indictment, the terrorist assembled five powerful explosive devices at his home, attaching nails and screws to them with the intent to harm bus passengers.
The devices were hidden inside buses, and exploded at night in parking lots in Bat Yam and Holon. There were no casualties.
In her ruling, Justice Barak-Erez wrote: “In recent decades, house demolitions have been reserved for deadly terrorist attacks. Security authorities have generally refrained from using this measure when, fortunately, no lives were lost.”
According to a report by journalist Amit Segal, Barak-Erez’s opinion was a minority view. The terrorist’s family petitioned against the demolition order, but the petition was rejected by a single vote.
About two weeks ago, the military prosecution filed a severe indictment against the terrorist. According to the charges, in January 2025 he planned a mass-casualty attack in the Tel Aviv area using shrapnel-filled explosives.
On February 20, he infiltrated Israel, planted the explosives on four buses, and timed their detonation. Three exploded at night when the buses were empty, while two others were neutralized. The deadly attack was thus thwarted.
The terrorist then fled to Judea and Samaria, where he hid for several months. The indictment also noted that he planned another suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, but was arrested by the IDF and Shin Bet in July before he could execute his plan.
The military court ordered his detention until the end of proceedings. Additional indictments were filed against other suspects.