Shin Bet and Yasam forces raided the community of Esh Kodesh in the Binyamin region on Saturday, causing residents to panic.
According to residents, the masked forces entered a local playground with guns drawn while children and families were there. The forces later raided the home of long-time residents, assaulted the mother of the family, and searched the family members.
Community resident Ayelet Roth described the incident at the playground: "A pickup truck pulled up, and five masked people with guns drawn got out and entered the playground that is next to the community's synagogue while it was full of children and families." She added that her young daughter ran home fearing they were terrorists, and remarked, "Who goes into a playground with guns drawn and masked? Only terrorists."
She added that "the children were terrified and we are shocked by the gross way in which our rights were trampled during this violent arrest."
The Esh Kodesh community secretariat published a sharp condemnation of the raid on family homes on the Sabbath. The community stressed that the forces broke into the home of a couple of reserve officers whose son serves in an elite unit during their Sabbath meal.
"We can not tolerate this kind of treatment by the security forces towards community residents. We will not agree to such behavior toward the children of the community. We call for an urgent inquiry into the Shin Bet and the defense establishment. The establishment must ensure that violations of the residents' rights do not repeat themselves," community leadership stated.
The raid on the community followed the arrest of four individuals nearby a short time earlier. An unusual order was issued against three of the detainees prohibiting them from meeting with a lawyer, and a gag order was imposed on the details of the investigation.
Adv. Nati Rom from the Honenu legal advocacy organization, who represents the detainees, stated, "There is no justification to treat residents and soldiers like the worst of terrorists."