Efraim Yehoshua (L) and Honenu Attorney Bleicher (R); Photo credit: Honenu
Monday, November 17, 2025, 17:48 The State Attorney’s office announced that it would appeal to the Supreme Court regarding the lenient sentencing of eight Arab terrorists who took part in a brutal attack on Yigal Yehoshua, Hy”d, during Operation Guardian of the Walls (May 2021). Dozens of Arab terrorists hurled cement blocks and rocks at Jewish motorists in Lod, among them Yehoshua. He was seriously injured in the head by a rock and died of his injuries several days later. Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher is representing Effi Yehoshua, the victim’s brother.
The Lod District Court convicted eight of the terrorists in April 2025 and sentenced them in September 2025. Seven of them were convicted of aggravated assault in an act of terror, and were sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment. The eighth terrorist was convicted of a different act of terror, and was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.
Attorney Bleicher reacted to the announcement: “We welcome the appeal and expect a ruling that will increase the penalty for the terrorists, who attacked Jewish motorists after verifying the identity of who was in the cars. The 13-year sentence is half of the maximum sentence for the main crime of which the terrorists were convicted. In a serious case such as this, the maximum penalty should be handed down. The act of terror that led to the murder of Yigal Yehoshua, Hy”d, was part of the Hamas plot to attack our very existence during Operation Guardian of the Walls. Maximum penalization creates deterrence and addresses the danger of exhibiting weakness in the face of terror. We expect the Supreme Court to accept the appeal and increase the penalties of all of the terrorists who took part in the attack.”