As on any ordinary day, the Abu Muho family from the Palestinian village of Deir Jarir near Ramallah was on its way home from shopping when the incident occurred. An armed Israeli reservist, wearing civilian clothes, was documented running over a family member with an all-terrain vehicle after the family pulled their car to the side of the road.
“Thank God he did not kill him. In my view, this was a deliberate ramming with the intent to kill,” the family’s father, Majdi Abu Muho, told ynet.
Footage of the ramming in the village of Deir Jarir
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An Israel Defense Forces investigation found that the reservist, who serves in a regional defense unit, had earlier opened fire at Palestinians in the area, lightly wounding one of them. Shortly afterward, the report of the ramming involving a member of the Abu Muho family was received. At an initial stage, the army decided to confiscate the reservist’s weapon and remove him from service.
Abu Muho said the family encountered an improvised checkpoint where numerous vehicles were stopped. He added that settlers present at the site rioted and threw stones at Palestinians. The family pulled over in an effort to avoid harm and waited for IDF forces to arrive and calm the situation.
While they were waiting, Abu Muho said, his 23-year-old son asked to step out of the car to pray by the roadside. Shortly afterward, the reservist arrived, cursed the Palestinians at the scene and shouted at them to go home, before ramming his son with the ATV.
“Suddenly I saw from the car that he was running over my son,” Abu Muho said.
The father said he began shouting out of fear for his son’s life. The son sustained minor injuries. According to Abu Muho, the reservist continued his rampage and sprayed him with pepper spray.
“We were taken to the emergency room. All of us underwent medical checks. Thank God no more serious harm was caused,” he said.
Abu Muho added that since the October 7 massacre, there has been a sharp rise in settler violence against Palestinians. “There is no value to Palestinian lives. The feeling is that every day a Palestinian can die without anyone caring or being held accountable. It is very frightening. I am afraid for my children,” he said.
“This time we got away with relatively minor damage, but other times it could end much worse,” he added, saying the aim of the ramming was to intimidate and drive Palestinians away from the village near a recently established settlement.
The IDF spokesperson said the incidents are under investigation and that further handling will be transferred to the relevant authorities based on the findings. “The soldier’s weapon was confiscated by the IDF, and his service was suspended due to the severity of the events. The IDF strongly condemns any manifestation of violence and demands that its soldiers and commanders act in accordance with the values of the IDF,” the statement said.
First published: 23:12, 12.25.25