Over 20 arrested as haredi parties condemn violence, stress it does not reflect the broader haredi community
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 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 some 22 rioters have been arrested so far. Reports in Israeli media suggested a police helicopter was en route to the scene.
One police officer was injured while confronting rioters, police later confirmed, without providing further details.
Haredi protesters against draft law in Bnei Brak, February 15, 2026. (CREDIT: DAVID KESHET)
Israeli officials condemn the incident
Israeli officials from across the political spectrum condemned the Bnei Brak riots, stressing that assaulting soldiers and police officers was unacceptable.
“I strongly condemn the violent riots in Bnei Brak against female IDF soldiers and officers of the Israeli Police,” 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, adding, “We will not allow anarchy, and we will not tolerate any attack on IDF personnel and security forces who carry out their mission with devotion and determination.”
The prime minister urged leaders of the haredi public to denounce the riot, and urged 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.
Leader of the haredi party Shas, Arye Deri, also condemned the riot, saying it did not reflect the broader haredi community.
“The Shas movement strongly condemns the acts of violence, vandalism, and rioting by a small group of extremists in Bnei Brak. These actions are completely contrary to the path of the Torah, harm the entire haredi public, cause a desecration of God’s name, and inflict serious damage on the just struggle for the world of Torah,” Deri said in a statement.
“Leave our camp!” he added.
United Torah Judaism (UTJ) leader Yitzhak Goldknopf also condemned the violent protest, saying he was “shocked by the footage” coming out of Bnei Brak and strongly condemning the violence against security forces.
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.”
IDF: ‘A severe crossing of a red line’
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.”
Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy said the riot “constituted an attack on symbols of the rule of law,” adding, “We will hold everyone involved to account. We are a state governed by the rule of law, and we will not allow thuggish behavior in our country.”
Tensions between security forces and the Haredi community have been rising recently, with several demonstrations held in recent weeks against a proposed law that aims to draft more Haredim into the military.