An Israel Railways employee was beaten severely early on Thursday by a group of Arab young men. The attack is believed to be "nationalistically" motivated, which would define it as an act of terrorism.
Ronen, 20, reported that a group of young Arabs confronted him at his guard post at a railway crossing near Atlit around 3:00 a.m. The young men descended upon him and, without warning, struck him in the face. Then, after demanding his weapon and hearing he was unarmed, the attackers savagely beat Ronen with sticks, fists and feet.
Ronen can barely speak, as the attackers fractured bones in his face and body, but after the assault he managed to make his way to a nearby IDF Navy base, where he received first aid. Neither Ronen nor the guard post were robbed, pointing towards a terrorist motive behind the attack.
Ronen's parents, speaking to police on behalf of their son, conveyed their son's account of the attack, as well as their horror at the result: "I arrived at the post and saw that it was full of blood," Ronen's father said. "I was certain my son had been murdered."
The police are investigating the incident, alongside an internal investigation by the Hashmira Security Technologies Company, which provides security for the Atlit railway crossing. Initial inquiries show that the alert system in place at the guard station failed to function as it should.