Security forces demolished the home of the terrorist who carried out the shooting attack in which IDF soldiers Yuval Ezra and Benayahu Mellet were killed.
The demolition was carried out less than three weeks after the attack by IDF forces from the Samaria Brigade and Yahalom special forces unit, together with Border Police forces from Judea and Samaria.
The operation took place on Ezra's birthday. The battalion that led the demolition was Battalion 411, where Ezra served as the commander of an artillery battery.
"The IDF will continue to act proactively and offensively to thwart terrorism across Judea and Samaria and to ensure justice is served against terrorists who seek to harm the citizens of the State of Israel," the IDF said following the demolition.
Last week, the IDF released the findings of its command-level investigation into the attack. The investigation found that the group of hikers had set out without the required coordination or approval from security authorities. Several hours before the group departed, the Samaria Brigade received preliminary information about the trip and attempted to obtain additional details.
The incident began when military observation teams identified stone-throwing directed at the hikers. An IDF force was dispatched to the area, followed by additional forces under Ezra's command, along with the security coordinator of Havat Gilad and Mellet. The forces worked to separate the Palestinians from the hikers and push the attackers back toward the nearby village.
According to the investigation, after the security coordinator's weapon was seized, Ezra and Mellet acted courageously to protect the civilians and neutralize the terrorists. Ezra charged one of the terrorists, engaged him at close range, and killed him, but was himself killed during the confrontation.
Regarding Mellet's death, the investigation found that it could not be conclusively determined whether he was struck by terrorist gunfire or by incidental fire during the effort to neutralize the attackers.
All of the terrorists involved in the attack were ultimately killed, while two additional terrorists were wounded and all those involved were arrested.
The investigation also identified several operational failures, including the size of the initial force relative to the scale of the incident, difficulties in developing a complete situational picture, and delays in deploying additional forces and medical teams.
The IDF described as a serious failure the fact that Mellet remained wounded at the scene for several minutes, receiving treatment from a civilian medic without a military medical unit present.
Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir accepted the investigation's conclusions and ordered that its lessons be implemented immediately. Following a recommendation from the head of the Manpower Directorate, Zamir also approved the posthumous promotion of Mellet to the rank of Captain (Res.). The IDF said Mellet had been in the process of completing officer training at the time of his death.