The soldier; Photo credit: Free use
Saturday, August 1, 2026, 21:11 An IDF reconnaissance soldier on leave was detained on Shabbat after rushing to the aid of an attacked shepherd. The incident began on Friday, about half an hour before the onset of Shabbat. A Jewish shepherd grazing his flock near Alon Road was attacked by dozens of Arab rioters from the village of al-Mughayir. The Arabs launched fireworks and threw rocks directly at him. The shepherd called security forces and farmers from nearby farms.
The soldier, who was staying on one of the farms, also went out to help. When he arrived at the scene, however, he decided to wait for IDF forces and did not fire any shots. IDF forces arrived and dispersed the rioters with gas and stun grenades. The shepherd then returned to his farm. On Friday night, however, Arabs in al-Mughayir suddenly claimed that an Arab child who had been on the outskirts of the village was injured by gunfire during the incident. The police accused the soldier of injuring the child. The soldier maintained that he had not fired any shots at all during the incident.
One of the channels in the village that regularly broadcasts propaganda in support of Hamas and other terrorist organizations placed the blame on the soldier, who is known in the village due to his activity on nearby farms in recent years. The channel, “Al-Mughayir Journals,” shared his photograph and claimed that he was responsible for the alleged shooting.
Al-Mughayir Journals has a long history of blood libels that were later proven false. For example, several months ago, after the elimination of two rioters from the village who were throwing stones, the channel claimed that Shmuel Wende, former administrator of Yeshivat Homesh, was the shooter. Many left-wing activists quickly shared the claim without verifying its reliability. They were later forced to apologize and even pay compensation to Wende after the claim was proven to be completely baseless.
After Shabbat, Honenu Attorney Nati Rom, who is representing the soldier, sharply criticized the detention: “I call on the police not to buy into the blood libel that came out of a village of murderers. You did not even try to take a statement from the soldier. And you have not arrested the operators of a channel that has been inciting to violence and inflaming terrorism for years in the village of al-Mughayir and its surroundings. Do not side with those who back the outrageous blood libels they spread.
“My client, despite being on leave, took his weapon and rushed to help a shepherd in distress. Today, he found himself detained like a hardened criminal. My client did not open fire during the incident, and according to testimonies from authorities at the scene, no other armed individuals opened fire either. I am certain that if the police had opened a real investigation, they would have discovered this quickly, and very likely they would have discovered that the child’s injury was caused by fireworks or something else unrelated to any of the security forces. I call for my client’s immediate release,” Attorney Rom added.