Jerusalem, 15 February, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir spoke in the last few minutes with the two IDF commanders who were attacked today by ultra-orthodox people during a military mission in Bnei Brak and inquired about their well-being.
“I stand fully and clearly behind you,” Zamir told them. “No one is permitted to harm your honor or interfere with the important mission you are carrying out. You represent the entire IDF, and you have my full backing and that of the entire system.”
Zamir pledged to investigate the incident to ensure it does not happen again.
A mob of Orthodox (Haredi) men chased two female Israel Defense Forces servicewomen through the streets of Bnei Brak on Sunday, overturning trash cans and a police vehicle before officers managed to extract the soldiers to safety. The incident, which was captured on video and widely circulated on social media, sparked fierce condemnation across Israel’s political spectrum.
According to police, the two soldiers, who serve in the IDF’s Education and Youth Corps, were in Bnei Brak as part of a welfare home visit to one of their soldiers. They were not military police, despite claims circulating online, the IDF said. Footage shows the women running alongside police officers as a crowd of men follows, shouting and blocking the street. At one point, rioters overturned trash cans and damaged a police car as officers attempted to clear a path.