Hundreds protest outside the Binyamin Brigade headquarters after a 14-year-old was shot Friday night. Protesters chant, “A resident of Judea and Samaria is not an enemy.” IDF says the gathering turned violent
Hundreds of residents from the Binyamin Regional Council protested Sunday evening outside the Binyamin Regional Brigade headquarters, in response to the shooting of a 14-year-old boy on Friday night. The boy was injured in the incident and evacuated to the hospital.
Protesters held signs reading: “A resident of Judea and Samaria is not an enemy,” “Stop the madness,” and “A kippah and sidelocks are not a reason to shoot.” Among the participants was Rabbi David Amitai, head of the Evyatar Yeshiva and uncle of the injured boy.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit stated, “Earlier tonight, dozens of Israeli civilians gathered at the entrance of the Binyamin Regional Brigade Headquarters. The gathering became violent and some of the civilians at the scene attacked the security forces, sprayed pepper spray at them, and vandalized military vehicles.”
It added that IDF, Israel Police, and Israel Border Police forces operated at the scene to disperse the gathering and, “We are aware of a report regarding an Israeli civilian who was injured and evacuated to receive medical treatment.”
“The IDF and Israel Police condemn any act of violence against security forces and will operate against any attempt to harm security personnel who are carrying out their duty to protect Israeli civilians. The IDF and Israel Police will continue to focus on protecting civilians, while also enforcing the law and preventing any illegal activity, wherever it may occur,” the statement said.
Yehuda Lubetzky, the injured boy’s father and a member of the Har Hatzor settlement group, addressed the protest: “I came here tonight after my son – who belongs to our group – experienced something this Shabbat that I never imagined could happen in the State of Israel. While one of my sons serves as a combat soldier in Gaza, an IDF officer shot at another of my sons.”
He continued, “The battalion commander opened live fire at them twice. Bullets passed over their heads; they were forced to lie on the ground with a loaded weapon aimed at them – as if they were terrorists. Their only ‘crime’ was attempting to protect a hill from an attempted arson attack. They did not raise a hand, act violently, or resist arrest – yet the commander continued his rampage.”
Lubetzky called the incident a “red line,” warning, “This is a glaring warning sign. It follows previous cases – like those of Ahuvya Sandak and Ramat Gilad – where police officers were not prosecuted. Sadly, the IDF is lying and allowing our blood to be spilled. If this dangerous backing of the commander continues, it’s only a matter of time before another deadly shooting occurs – and not much time at that.”
He concluded with an appeal to the Chief of Staff and the Defense Minister: “I call on you to prosecute the officer and make it unequivocally clear—shooting at Jewish residents is a red line. We and the IDF are brothers, and it is unacceptable that, under the guise of wild incitement, soldiers are sent to fight their brothers instead of the enemy.”
An initial IDF investigation determined that two separate incidents occurred approximately six kilometers apart and at different times.
The first took place between 10:00 p.m. and midnight, when forces under the battalion commander were reportedly attacked during the evacuation of an outpost near Baal Hatzor.
The second occurred at 12:37 a.m. when a patrol led by a platoon commander identified 10-20 masked individuals throwing rocks from an elevated slope. Footage from the incident showed that the officer halted his vehicle and fired three warning shots into the air, aiming upward. He reported identifying the attackers as masked individuals.
As he approached the area, he reported hearing someone shout in Hebrew: “I’ll put a bullet in your head, you son of a b**ch.”
Roughly half an hour later, a wounded boy was brought by friends to the Rimmonim pillbox. Initial reports claimed he was struck by a rubber bullet, but later it was discovered that a live bullet remained in his body.
The IDF stated the officer had acted under a real threat and followed the rules of engagement. A ballistic investigation is underway to determine the source of the bullet.
