Two female soldiers were rescued from a haredi (ultra-Orthodox) mob in Bnei Brak by Israel Police, police said in a Sunday afternoon statement.
“A short while ago, a report was received about a gathering of a small group of lawbreakers on Hagai Street in Bnei Brak, who had surrounded two female soldiers after they arrived to conduct a welfare activity as part of their service in the IDF,” the police said.
Officers from the Bnei Brak and Ramat Gan stations arrived on scene to escort the soldiers to safety, police said, noting that as forces arrived on scene, the mob began “confronting the officers and throwing trash bins into the path of the patrol vehicle.”
According to footage circulating on social media, the mob flipped a car during its chase, and continued to follow the soldiers as police escorted them further away and around a corner to safety.
“Police are working to restore public order in Bnei Brak using various measures,” a police statement read, adding that 12 rioters have been arrested so far.
Haredi protesters against draft law in Bnei Brak, February 15, 2026. (CREDIT: DAVID KESHET)IDF, Israeli officials condemn the incident
“I strongly condemn the violent riots in Bnei Brak against IDF female soldiers and Israel Police officers,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, calling the incident “serious and unacceptable.”
“This is an extremist minority that does not represent Haredi society as a whole,” he went on, but even so, added that “we will not allow anarchy, and we will not tolerate any harm to IDF service members and security forces who are carrying out their duties with dedication and determination.”
The prime minister urged leaders of the Haredi public to denounce the riot, and on law enforcement authorities to act with determination and fully prosecute everyone who took part. “The State of Israel will not allow harm to the security forces and will not move on from violence of any kind,” he said.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir echoed the sentiment in a statement released by the military, affirming that “any harm to IDF soldiers carried out by Israeli civilians constitutes a severe crossing of a red line, and the attackers must be dealt with firmly.”
Zamir “expects that the attackers will face the full force of the law.”
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett shared the video in an X/Twitter post, condemning the incident as “anarchy.”
“A bright red line has been crossed here. We will not lend a hand to harm our female soldiers,” Bennett’s post read. “We will restore governance to Israel.”
“These shocking photos were taken now in Bnei Brak and not in Gaza. This is what a loss of governance looks like: the state simply does not exist,” MK Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu) said in response to the footage, slamming the incident as part of a “smear campaign against women in the public sphere and in the IDF.”
Former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot (Yasher!), MK Meirav Cohen (Yesh Atid), and the Reservists party also shared statements condemning the attack.
“Israel 2026: Israel Police are required to rescue two IDF soldiers from the crowd in Bnei Brak,” Eisenkot said. “The side that evades [the draft] attacks the side that serves.”
Eisenkot added that during COVID-19, IDF soldiers helped the residents of Bnei Brak when needed, and that “it is sad and painful that the lesson of mutual guarantee has not been learned.”
“Whoever raises their hand in favor of the draft evasion law that is on the table betrays the public that serves and harms the security of the state.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir condemned the “anarchist and violent group that attacked female soldiers, injured police officers, and set a police motorcycle on fire in Bnei Brak,” adding that anyone who lays a hand on soldiers or police officers will “pay a heavy price.”
“At the same time, it is important for me to clarify that this does not represent the entire Haredi public,” Ben-Gvir went on. “The vast majority of the Haredi public is law-abiding, respects security forces, and is not a partner to this violence. We must not allow an extremist minority to stain an entire community.”
Tobias Siegal cotributed to this report.