Thousands of haredim participated on Tuesday evening in a protest against the conscription of yeshiva students on Bar Ilan Street in Jerusalem.
During the demonstration, a bus began driving recklessly and ran over a group of protesters. One of them, a boy in his early teens, got trapped under the bus and was killed on the spot. Three others were injured and treated by MDA (Magen David Adom) teams.
The teen has been identified as Yosef Eisental, 14, a resident of the Ramot neighborhood in Jerusalem.
The protest had been coordinated with the police and was led by senior rabbis in the haredi community. One of the rabbis, Rabbi Yechiel Huna, criticized the government and compared its actions in drafting haredim to the period of the Holocaust.
"Back then, even they couldn't fathom such mass extermination. The authorities, like back then and even now, with the help of internal collaborators, are talking about the complete extermination of the Jewish people as a Jewish people," he claimed.
The police had prepared for the event with hundreds of officers and Border Police troops, who were deployed in the surrounding streets leading toward Bar Ilan Street, directing traffic and maintaining order during the protest.
MDA Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Eli Eisenbach said: "We received a report of several pedestrians struck by a bus during a protest. When we arrived at the scene, we witnessed a difficult sight-there was a great deal of commotion, and a young man, about 18 years old, was trapped under the bus. During the rescue operations, we performed medical assessments and found him to be without a pulse, not breathing, and suffering from severe multi-system trauma. Unfortunately, we had to pronounce him dead at the scene."
MDA Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Yehoshua Meir Schreiber, who evacuated the mildly injured, said: "Upon arriving at the scene of the accident, we saw four casualties who had been struck by the bus, including one who was trapped and unconscious. Among those mildly injured, a young man about 17 years old approached us on foot, suffering from minor bruises. Nearby, a 14-year-old boy was lying down, having difficulty moving and suffering from injuries to his limbs and back. We provided them with initial medical treatment at the scene and evacuated them to the hospital in mild condition while continuing medical care en route."
Israeli leaders responded with shock and outrage to the incident.
Blue and White Chairman, MK Benny Gantz, stated: "A 13-year-old boy should not find his death on the road under any circumstances. My heart goes out to his family on this difficult evening. The police must exhaust the investigation against the driver, and also draw lessons regarding preparations for demonstrations."
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated: "The tragic footage from Jerusalem is heartbreaking and deeply shocking. This reality is shocking. Our country must not look like this. We are one people. The Israel Police must fully investigate the incident and ensure that such incidents do not happen again. I grieve with the family of the boy who was killed and pray for the peace of the injured."
Degel Hatorah Chairman MK Moshe Gafni stated: "The incident of the running over and killing of the boy at a demonstration in Jerusalem is shocking to the depths of the soul. We demand that the driver be brought to justice and punished to the full extent of the law. It is impossible to pass over such a horrific act of killing as usual."