Two IDF soldiers arrested after attacking Druze Israeli colleague
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here

Two IDF soldiers arrested after attacking Druze Israeli colleague

Israeli army launches investigation after Druze recruit subject to a series of attacks, leaving him with a bloodied face

A Druze soldier attacked and beaten by other soldiers is seen at hospital (Facebook photo, family - via Times of Israel)
A Druze soldier attacked and beaten by other soldiers is seen at hospital (Facebook photo, family - via Times of Israel)

Two Israeli soldiers have been arrested in connection with an on-base attack against a Druze soldier.

The soldier, who said he was beaten by fellow soldiers on his base in northern Israel, was taken to the hospital Thursday with a broken nose and cuts to his head and face. He also was kicked and punched all over his body until he lost consciousness.

The arrests were made Sunday night. The soldier’s commanders informed the Criminal Investigation Division, the Israel Defence Forces said in a statement, and an investigation is underway.

“The IDF denounces any incidences of violence, and any such events are dealt with harshly,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said.

The base commander reportedly refused to immediately take the beaten soldier for medical care, waiting four hours before sending him to an emergency room. The soldier was ordered sent home for five days of rest, and said he was beaten again after returning to the base from the hospital before traveling home.

The second attack necessitated another trip to the hospital, according to Ynet.

The soldier reportedly was beaten after refusing to leave his dorm room immediately when called to do so.

His family posted photos on social media to show the severity of the injuries, including his bloodied face and blood-spattered uniform.

The assaulted soldier’s grandfather, Said Hussein, in an interview with Ynet said of the attack: “To beat a soldier in the IDF until he loses consciousness requires an investigation. This is not the army I served in 30 years ago. I didn’t send my grandson to the army for this kind of thing.”

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.

For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.

Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.

You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.

100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...

Engaging

Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.

Celebrating

There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.

Pioneering

In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.

Campaigning

Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.

Easy access

In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.

Voice of our community to wider society

The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.

We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.

read more: