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An Israeli reservist soldier has been caught on camera ramming his vehicle into a Palestinian man who was offering namaz on the side of a road in the occupied West Bank. The incident, which took place on Thursday near the village of Deir Jarir, was filmed and aired by Palestinian television and later verified by Reuters.
The video shows the Israeli man, dressed in civilian clothing with a gun slung over his shoulder, driving an off-road vehicle into the Palestinian man as he prays. The man falls to the ground, after which the driver exits the vehicle, shouts at him and gestures for him to leave the area.
Israeli Military Terminates Reservist’s Service
The Israeli military confirmed the incident in a statement, saying, “Footage was received of an armed individual running over a Palestinian individual.” It added that the individual was a reservist and that his military service had been terminated. His weapon was confiscated, with the army describing the act as a “severe violation of his authority.”
According to The Times of Israel, the same individual had earlier fired shots inside the village. The Israeli Defence Forces described that incident as a “serious breach of his authority.”
Arrest, Release And Restrictions Imposed
The Times of Israel reported that the reservist was arrested on Thursday night but was later released. He has been placed under house arrest for five days and barred from entering the village of Deir Jarir or contacting anyone linked to the case.
The Palestinian man was taken to hospital for a medical check-up and was later discharged. While officials said he was not seriously injured, his father, Majdi Abu Mokho, told AFP that his son is suffering pain in both legs following the incident. Mokho also alleged that the soldier sprayed pepper spray on his son, although this does not appear in the video footage.
“The assailant is a known settler,” Mokho said, adding that he had set up an outpost near the village and regularly provoked residents by blocking roads and grazing livestock.
The incident comes amid escalating violence in the occupied West Bank following the war that began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Since then, Israeli troops and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, including militants and dozens of civilians. During the same period, at least 44 Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations in the West Bank.