Israeli authorities are investigating an alleged assault in teh occupied West Bank after video emerged appearing too show a former reservist running over a Palestinian man during prayer Thursday, an incident occurring against a backdrop of rising regional tensions linked to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The alleged attack prompted the IDF to confiscate the individual’s weapon and place him under house arrest,while the Palestinian man received medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. This incident follows a separate attack in northern Israel – a vehicle ramming and stabbing – and highlights a notable increase in violence in the region, with the UN reporting a record number of settler attacks against Palestinians in 2024.
Israeli forces are investigating an incident in the occupied West Bank involving a reservist who allegedly ran over a Palestinian man who was praying by the side of the road on Thursday. The incident comes amid heightened tensions and a surge in violence in the region, particularly since the start of the war in Gaza.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, they received a video showing a man, identified as a former reservist, driving a vehicle into the Palestinian man. “We received a video of a person armed with a weapon running over a Palestinian,” the IDF stated in a release.
The army has confiscated the soldier’s weapon and indicated he is currently under house arrest, according to reports in Israeli media. The Palestinian man was taken to a hospital for examination but was not seriously injured and has since returned home.
The video, broadcast by Palestinian television, appears to show a man in civilian clothes driving an SUV and striking a man engaged in prayer on the roadside.
Separately, Israeli police reported a double attack in Beisan, northern Israel, involving a vehicle ramming and a subsequent stabbing. Authorities say a Palestinian individual carried out the attack and was neutralized. According to initial investigations, a pedestrian was first hit by a vehicle, followed by the stabbing of a young woman near Ein Harod.
The United Nations has reported that 2024 has been the most violent year on record in terms of attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, resulting in over 750 injuries.
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces and settlers in the West Bank between October 7, 2023, and October 17, 2025, during the Israeli war on Gaza, according to UN data. The escalating violence underscores the fragility of the situation and the urgent need for de-escalation efforts.
