Army Radio released video showing an IDF soldier vandalizing Palestinian cars in Bethlehem, including punctured tires and smashed windows, while other soldiers reportedly watched without intervening. The military confirmed the incident occurred overnight between Saturday and Sunday and said the Etzion Regional Brigade has opened an investigation. Separately, a mosque in Kusra was set on fire and several vehicles were burned in nearby villages in suspected nationalist-motivated attacks. The violence followed a fatal shooting that killed Benayahu Mellet and Maj. Yuval Ezra.
Video Shows IDF Soldier Vandalizing Palestinian Vehicles in Bethlehem; Army Opens Probe
The soldier punctured the tires, kicked the doors and mirrors, smashed the windshields, and slammed his weapon against the windows of cars in a West Bank operation. (photo credit: screenshot)
Footage published by Army Radio on Monday shows an Israel Defense Forces soldier vandalizing Palestinian vehicles during operations in Bethlehem over the weekend.
The clip appears to show the soldier puncturing tires, kicking doors and mirrors, shattering windshields and repeatedly striking vehicle windows with his rifle until they broke. Army Radio reported that at least three other soldiers were present and watched the incidents unfold without intervening.
The military confirmed the episode occurred overnight between Saturday and Sunday and said it viewed the acts seriously. Officials told Army Radio that the Etzion Regional Brigade has opened an investigation, but the army declined to disclose whether any disciplinary or legal measures have yet been taken against those involved.
IDF soldiers operate in the West Bank, June, 2026. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Related Suspected Nationalist-Motivated Attacks
In a separate incident on Saturday night, a mosque in the West Bank village of Kusra was set on fire in what security sources suspect was a nationalist-motivated crime linked to a deadly shooting the previous day. The words 'Revenge for Benayahu' were spray-painted on the mosque entrance alongside a Star of David, according to the report.
Officials also reported that five vehicles were torched in the village of Beitillu, and tractors and trucks near Khirbat Abu Falah were set alight. Two Palestinians who were apparently beaten during these incidents were evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment.
Context: Fatal Shooting Earlier in the Week
Those attacks followed a fatal shooting on Friday in which Benayahu Mellet, a member of the local emergency response squad and the agriculture coordinator at Gilad Farm, was killed near an outpost. Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27, an Artillery Corps battery commander from Herzliya, was also killed in the same attack.
Amir Bohbot contributed to this report.
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