Youths on the ground in front of IDF Jeep; Photo credit: Free use
Sunday, August 31, 2025, 11:15 Honenu Attorney Menashe Yado filed an NIS 122,000 suit with the Jerusalem Magistrates Court on behalf of six Binyamin residents against a battalion commander (res.) who opened fire over their heads. In an incident which occurred two months ago, on a Friday night (Shabbat), during the destruction of an outpost on Mount Hatzor. The commander opened fire with live rounds over the residents’ heads as the soldiers in his command fired tear gas and stun grenades at them.
Attorney Yado described the incident in the statement of claim: “On Friday night, June 27, 2025, army forces arrived at the Ba’al Hatzor outpost in the Binyamin region. The claimants drove toward the soldiers in two cars, with their headlights on so that they would be recognized as Jews. When [the claimants’] cars were opposite the army vehicles, the battalion commander and the soldiers in his command shouted at the claimants to get out of their cars and lie on the ground with their faces down. The commander threatened the claimants with his weapon, and they got out of their cars and held up their hands in a submissive gesture to indicate that the commander should not shoot them. The commander, with some of the other soldiers, continued to shout at the claimants to get out of their cars and lie on the ground. The commander also opened fire with live rounds over their heads.
“The incident was filmed by one of the claimants toward whom the commander advanced with his weapon aimed directly at the claimant and struck the cell phone in an attempt to prevent the claimant from continuing to film the incident. Many gas grenades were launched, and live rounds were shot during the incident, as evidenced by the many bullet casings that were filmed on the ground at the scene immediately after the shooting. The battalion commander was heard in a loud phone conversation with border police forces, yelling at them “Either you come here, or I’ll kill them!”
The statement of claim underscored that over the past two years, security forces have opened fire or cocked their weapons at Yehuda and Shomron residents in dozens of incidents that resulted in several injured persons. Miraculously, none of the incidents ended with the death of a resident.
Attorney Yado issued a statement: “The claimants are suing the commander because the reckless shooting has not received proper attention. It has not been investigated, the military command has not dealt with it, and the soldiers involved have not been disciplined. Shootings such as this incident are protected by an extensive media cover-up that distorts the facts and demonizes the victims. The failure to investigate and prosecute the reckless use of weapons exposes Jewish communities in Yehuda and Shomron to live fire, which we did not have in the past. That is the reason for filing the suit.”
The youths raise their arms and lie on the ground; Video credit: Free use