Israeli police and Border Police forces are currently operating to disperse rioters at the Bar-Ilan Junction in Jerusalem and in the city of Beit Shemesh, where protesters are demonstrating against the autopsy of the infants who died in the daycare tragedy.
According to police, the protesters are blocking roads, throwing stones and objects at officers, and setting trash bins on fire. Forces began dispersing those involved after the gathering was declared unlawful, and clashes at the scene are ongoing.
The police released footage of the riots in Jerusalem in which protesters are seen pushing an elderly man onto the road after he tried to remove a rock that had been thrown onto the road.
The Jerusalem municipal surveillance center spotted the attack as it happened. One suspect, documented rolling rocks onto the roadway, was arrested at the scene.
In a statement, police said that “the lawbreakers are crossing every red line, deliberately harming citizens and police officers," adding that the police will continue to act “with determination and a heavy hand" to restore public order and bring those responsible to justice.
Due to the riots spreading to the light rail tracks near the Shivtei Yisrael station, service is suspended between Givat HaMivtar and HaDavidka stations.
The light rail is currently operating partially, between Neve Yaakov and northern Givat HaMivtar, and between HaDavidka and Hadassah Ein Kerem.
Once the tracks are cleared and police approval is granted, full service will resume along the entire Red Line.
The police are also preparing for a demonstration expected to take place today in the Bnei Brak area, during which blockages are expected on Jabotinsky Highway and Route 4.
Similar protests took place last night in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, and Beit Shemesh as the haredi community demanded that the bodies be released for immediate burial according to Jewish law. The police petitioned the court to order the autopsy regardless as part of the investigation to determine the cause of death.