Two female IDF soldiers rescued by police from violent unrest in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak said they had asked their commanders not to enter the area but were instructed to proceed.
“We hid inside dumpsters,” one of the soldiers said in testimony. “I wasn’t carrying a weapon, and that’s fortunate, because in any case I wouldn’t have been able to use it against them.”
Riots in Bnei Brak
The unrest erupted after word spread that the soldiers had arrived to distribute military draft notices. The IDF said the soldiers were in fact conducting a welfare visit as part of their duties.
According to one of the soldiers, a woman who saw them entering a building warned them to hide and told them they were not allowed to be there. “I even wore a skirt in advance to avoid this,” she said.
Tel Aviv District Police Commander Haim Sargarof criticized the lack of coordination with the military.
“The army must coordinate entry into the city with us,” he said at the scene. “When they enter without coordinating with us, we are left to respond.”
He said police are using camera footage to identify those involved in the violence. “We have reached the person who set the motorcycle on fire. We need to make the arrests and restore quiet for residents who need to know there will be zero tolerance for disorder,” he said.
Sargarof said there was no immediate expectation of further unrest but that police were prepared for road closures and additional disturbances. “The incident went from zero to 100,” he said. “We are not updated when soldiers enter for activity, it is not coordinated with us, and we are surprised. Had we been informed, we would have escorted and supported them and would not have allowed them to enter the heart of Bnei Brak, the center of the Jerusalem Faction, without accompaniment.”
Police Commissioner Danny Levy said officers would restore order and arrest everyone involved. “In the State of Israel there is law and it must be respected,” he said. “Anyone who raises a hand against soldiers or police officers, or overturns patrol cars, has a personal problem with me and with my organization.”
Police said 22 people were arrested during the unrest. According to a statement, rioters threw stones at officers, overturned a patrol car and set a police motorcycle on fire, along with tefillin that were on it. Two officers were injured. Stun grenades were used to disperse the crowd, and a helicopter was deployed to the area.
Video from the scene showed hundreds of ultra-Orthodox men surrounding the soldiers as garbage bins were overturned and scattered across the street. In one instance, a man pushing a baby stroller was seen walking near officers as stun grenades were thrown, shouting at them to stop.
Riots in Bnei Brak
Police declared a district-wide emergency protocol, mobilizing forces from stations across the Tel Aviv District, and officers extracted the soldiers from the crowd.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir condemned the attack. “I view with severity and strongly condemn the attack on IDF soldiers who carried out a military mission earlier today in Bnei Brak,” he said. “Any harm to IDF soldiers by civilians is a serious crossing of a red line and the attackers must be dealt with firmly. I expect the law to be fully enforced.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the violence, calling it the actions of “an extreme minority” that does not represent the broader ultra-Orthodox community. “We will not allow anarchy, and we will not tolerate any harm to IDF servicemembers and security forces personnel who carry out their duties with dedication and determination,” he said.
Chief Rabbi Kalman Meir Bar denounced the violence, saying Jewish law strictly forbids raising a hand against another person and that the Torah’s ways are “ways of pleasantness and peace.”
Opposition leaders also sharply criticized the events. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the attack “anarchy” and said a “bright red line” had been crossed. He later visited Bnei Brak and said those responsible should be jailed as quickly as possible.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called for immediate arrests, saying it was unacceptable for soldiers and police officers to be attacked and that those involved “must find themselves in prison today.”