Israel Warned That Deporting Families is a War Crime

Human rights groups monitor army after homes belonging to the relatives of alleged Palestinian attackers are destroyed

Human rights groups warned yesterday that plans by the Israeli army to deport the relatives of two Palestinian men accused of being behind this week's militant attacks could be a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.

Israeli soldiers demolished the homes of two suspected Palestinian militants overnight, and took at least 16 of the two men's male relatives into custody.

Officials said the army was considering deporting some or all of those detained from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip, as a deterrent to other militants - a plan that came in for rare criticism from the US government yesterday.

Israeli troops raided Askar refugee camp near Nablus, according to witnesses. They said soldiers blew up the home of Ali Ajouri, a commander in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Israeli officials accused Mr Ajouri of being behind Wednesday's double suicide bombing in Tel Aviv in which three people died, as well as the bombers.

The soldiers detained several of Mr Ajouri's male relatives. Among them, according to witnesses, was 72-year-old Mohammad Ajouri. The Israeli army closed the area to reporters yesterday.

The army also destroyed the home of Nasser abu Asida, an alleged Hamas militant, and arrested several of his male relatives. Israeli officials accused Mr abu Asida of planning Tuesday's bus ambush in which nine people died.

The two attacks came as a blow to Israelis after more than three weeks of calm. The Israeli army has reoccupied all but one large West Bank town and placed them under almost constant curfew, but the militants still slipped through, and the Israeli authorities have been desperately searching for a new response. More...