A Teen has been Killed as Bus Hits Protesters at Ultra-Orthodox Draft Rally in Jerusalem

A 14-year-old boy was killed on Tuesday after a bus struck protesters during a demonstration by ultra-Orthodox Jews against military conscription in Jerusalem, police and emergency services said.

The victim was identified as Yosef Eisenthal, a resident of the Ramot neighborhood in northwest Jerusalem. Three other people were lightly injured and taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital. The bus driver was arrested and questioned.

Police said a preliminary investigation indicated the driver was attacked by protesters who were blocking the road moments before the incident.

Footage Shows Bus Surrounded

Video circulating on social media showed dozens of demonstrators crowding around the bus shortly before the collision. No police officers were visible in the immediate area. In one recording, a voice can be heard saying, “Come on, someone will run over him for the good of everyone.”

The footage shows the driver attempting to reverse before driving forward, with at least one protester clinging to the front of the bus. Another video shows a boy holding onto the bus as it moved, then falling onto the road.

The incident occurred near the intersection of Bar-Ilan and Jeremiah streets, close to a mass rally attended by an estimated 15,000 ultra-Orthodox demonstrators from extremist factions protesting proposed changes to Israel’s draft exemption law.

Journalists Attacked, Police Probe

Journalists covering the protest reported being assaulted. A Kan News crew, accompanied by a security guard, was pelted with stones; the guard was taken to hospital for treatment.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the incident was “serious and must be investigated thoroughly,” adding that police were examining all aspects of the case.

According to police, an unlicensed demonstration had begun on the street where the crash occurred about half an hour earlier. Protesters allegedly blocked traffic, set fire to trash bins, threw objects and eggs at officers, and damaged buses.

Magen David Adom Director General Eli Bin said the boy was trapped under the bus and pronounced dead at the scene.

Transport Authority Summons Bus Operator

The Transportation Ministry and the National Public Transportation Authority said the owner and chief executive of Extra, the bus operator involved, had been summoned for a hearing.

Eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene, saying protesters surrounded the bus, knocked on it, spat at the driver and shouted insults. One witness said the driver appeared to have “no way out” as the crowd closed in.

Rally Against Conscription Law

The demonstration was held under the slogan “The Conscription Law — a Decree of Destruction,” and brought together several hardline ultra-Orthodox factions, including the Jerusalem Faction, the Edah Haredit and an extremist Sephardic group led by Rabbi Moshe Tzedaka.

Protesters sought to pressure ultra-Orthodox political parties not to advance legislation currently under debate in the Knesset that would regulate exemptions, sanctions and recruitment targets. Placards read, among other slogans, “Agreeing to the draft law is agreeing to the destruction of Judaism.”

Rabbi Tzedaka told the crowd that instead of conscription, Israel should mandate religious study. Other senior rabbis denounced any recruitment of yeshiva students, describing them as “guardians of the land.”

Under the latest version of the proposed law, draft orders issued since the previous exemption expired in 2023 would be canceled, personal sanctions would apply only up to age 26, and up to 10% of annual recruitment targets could be filled through civilian service in security bodies. The bill also broadens the definition of who qualifies as ultra-Orthodox, including those who have dropped out of the religious education system.