A 24-year-old Palestinian man from the West Bank town of Huwara turned himself in to Israeli security forces on Monday after being filmed spitting on an Israeli reserve officer aboard a bus in Ramat Gan the previous day, an incident that sparked political condemnation and a police manhunt.
The suspect surrendered to the IDF’s Civil Administration and was transferred to police for questioning. He is being investigated for assault and illegal presence in Israel. He was later moved to the Ramat Gan-Bnei Brak police station and is expected to appear before a Tel Aviv court, where police will seek to extend his detention and file charges.
Palestinian seen spitting on IDF officer on bus in central Israel
The reservist, Capt. (res.) Tamar Galliduani, 29, filed a police complaint after the attack. She told Ynet that the man had been sitting near her playing loud videos during the ride. When she moved away, he later approached her and suddenly spat on her face. “The spit wasn’t just on me,” she said. “It was on the uniform of the IDF, on what it represents.”
Galliduani, who regularly commutes from Tel Aviv to Ramat Gan for reserve duty, said she was grateful the incident didn’t escalate into physical violence but emphasized that it was still “a serious assault” and expressed hope the suspect would be held accountable. “This must serve as a deterrent to others,” she said. “Soldiers should be proud of their uniforms—and safe wearing them.”
The initial difficulty in locating the suspect stemmed from the fact that he had not paid for his bus fare, leaving no identifying records. Police launched a search effort, and Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama offered an 18,000-shekel reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest, calling the spitting attack on a uniformed officer “vile” and “potentially nationalist in nature.”
Police initially said the suspect had turned himself in to Palestinian authorities, but later corrected the statement, confirming he had directly surrendered to Israeli forces. The IDF and Shin Bet had been in contact with the Palestinian Authority to facilitate his transfer.
Following the arrest, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir personally phoned Galliduani and condemned the incident. “This is a serious event that cannot be ignored,” he said. “An attack on a uniformed officer is a red line and an attack on the IDF as a whole.”
Police are also investigating whether the suspect had previously worked illegally in Israel.
Mayor Shama added that “such violent outbursts, with no personal provocation and seemingly nationalist motives, demonstrate a clear danger to the public—whether the attacker is Arab or Jewish, a terrorist or disturbed. The danger remains.”