Israel demolishes family home of Palestinian prisoner in West Bank

Israeli forces demolished the family house of a Palestinian prisoner in Nablus in the occupied West Bank early on Thursday.

The army said it demolished overnight in Nablus the home of Kamal Jouri over an alleged "gun attack".

Jouri was arrested by Israel in February for allegedly shooting an Israeli soldier at a West Bank settlement in October.

An eyewitness told AFP that Israeli forces had left Nablus after destroying "an apartment on the second floor of a six-storey building".

Last week, the army destroyed the apartment of Osama Taweel, a member of the Lions' Den Palestinian group, who was also accused of involvement in the alleged killing of an Israeli soldier.

The demolition of Jouri's home came just hours after Israel killed three members of what is claimed was a "terrorist cell" in a rare drone strike near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, as violence escalates with at least 13 Palestinians, including a 14-year-old boy.

Israel regularly demolishes the homes of Palestinians who carry out attacks against Israelis in a move slammed by rights groups as collective punishment.

Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, and the Palestinian territory had been under Israeli military occupation since then.

Many countries, including the majority of the international community, consider Israel's presence and settlements in the West Bank to be illegal under international law.