Kan News reporter Haim Golditch and cameraman Ofer Edelstein were struck Thursday by a police water cannon fired directly at them.
The incident occurred during police efforts to disperse a protest by the extremist Jerusalem Faction in Jerusalem. As a result of the incident, Golditch suffered minor facial injuries, and the crew’s camera equipment was damaged.
Footage from the scene shows the water cannon vehicle driving through the area while spraying powerful jets of water indiscriminately at people present.
Kan News responded to the incident by saying: “The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation will approach the police demanding an investigation into the event."
The journalists were injured amid protests by extremist haredi demonstrators that lasted for approximately three hours in Jerusalem and around the Geha Junction area.
The protests were held in response to the arrest of Haredi draft evaders. During the demonstrations, major roads were blocked, and violent clashes broke out between protesters and police forces.
At around 5:00 p.m., demonstrations began near Geha Junction, while Bar-Ilan Junction in Jerusalem was also blocked to traffic. Police declared both protests illegal and acted to disperse them.
Some protesters blocked roads while carrying signs reading, among other slogans, “We will die rather than enlist." In Jerusalem, stones were reportedly thrown at police officers, and police forces, including mounted officers and water cannon units, operated at the scene. During the clashes, protesters were forcibly removed from the roads, and two people were arrested.
During the protests, demonstrators were documented crawling underneath buses and directly confronting drivers who became stranded due to the roadblocks.
After approximately three hours of disruptions and clashes, the demonstrations ended at the various locations. Security forces restored order, and the blocked roads were reopened to traffic.
