Fourteen-year-old Yosef Eisental was killed Tuesday evening after being struck by a bus during a Haredi protest against the military draft in Jerusalem, following several minutes in which the driver was surrounded by protesters amid widespread disorder and without any visible police presence.
In full footage of the incident published by Channel 14 reporter Yehuda Aharoni, lasting 4 minutes and 30 seconds, the bus can be seen encircled by protesters as others nearby set garbage bins on fire. The video shows the moments leading up to the fatal collision.
Footage from the incident
(Video: Yehuda Aharoni)
The driver appears to attempt to reverse away from the crowd, but protesters continue to surround the bus. Voices can be heard shouting calls to harm the driver, as well as statements such as “someone should be run over for everyone.” At one point, those surrounding the bus begin counting down, apparently ahead of an attempt to storm the vehicle.
Moments later, the bus accelerates into the crowd. Eisental, according to Magen David Adom, was dragged several meters beneath the bus. The footage shows at least one protester being dragged under the vehicle.
Despite the prolonged road blockage, the burning of trash containers and the visible chaos around the bus throughout the footage, no police officers are seen at the scene who could have intervened, prevented the crowd from attacking the driver or at least provided him with protection.
Following the collision, the driver was arrested and taken for questioning. Video from the moment of his arrest shows a crowd gathering near the bus, with some youths shouting “terrorist” at the driver.
MDA paramedic Ilan Gur Ari told ynet that responders found Eisental trapped beneath the bus. “The boy was lying under the bus and it was difficult to reach him,” he said. “We saw there were no signs of life. They lifted the bus and evacuated him, but his death was pronounced. It appears he was dragged several meters.”
Police said the incident occurred after the driver was attacked by rioters outside the area approved for the protest. They also confirmed that the bus driver had called the 100 emergency line to request assistance after being attacked, before the protesters were struck.
Footage from the arrest of the driver
“According to an initial examination, this was an intersection open to vehicular traffic and not an area where police had initiated a roadblock,” police said in a statement. “The bus was blocked by rioters who rampaged, obstructed the roadway and posed a real danger to road users.”
Police said an initial debriefing indicated the driver was attacked by rioters before the fatal incident occurred. He was arrested and transferred for questioning to examine the circumstances.
Another eyewitness described the sequence to ynet. “On Yirmiyahu Street they stopped the driver and spat at him,” the witness said. “He saw he had no way out, drove into the Haredim and ran them over. I was thrown aside. He went to another street, ran over more people there, then went down another street and ran people over again, and there was a child stuck there.”
The deadly incident sparked strong political reactions across the spectrum. Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar initially described the case as a “murder,” writing on X before police clarified that the driver had been attacked. “No ideological dispute justifies the killing of a Jewish teenager,” he wrote, calling for full prosecution.
National Unity Party chairman Benny Gantz said a teenager “should not lose his life on the road under any circumstances” and called for a thorough investigation, including lessons regarding police preparedness at demonstrations.
United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf said he was shocked by the incident and urged authorities to fully exhaust the investigation. Shas chairman Aryeh Deri spoke with Police Commissioner Daniel Levy, who said the driver had been arrested immediately and that police were treating the incident with full severity.
Organizers of the protest said the rally was peaceful and denied claims that the driver was attacked, saying the gathering dispersed in an orderly manner after the incident. They expressed condolences to the family but rejected police claims of rioting prior to the collision.
The incident occurred during ongoing protests by Haredi groups against changes to Israel’s draft exemption framework.