Footage Emerges of Israeli Police Officer Pulling Protestor By Their Hair

Footage has emerged of plain-clothed Israeli police officers punching and pulling the hair of a protestor. The incident occurred during a demonstration outside the Jerusalem home of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Eight people were arrested in the anti-government demonstrations and three people were injured, including a 70-year-old who sustained a head injury, according to a report from Al Jazeera.

Newsweek has reached out to the Israeli police for comment.

The clashes between police and anti-government protestors, who are calling for fresh elections, took place in Jerusalem on Monday, near to the house of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel's wartime unity government collapsed last week when two former generals who are considered to be centrist, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, quit. Netanyahu's position is now propped by partnerships with hard-right groups.

In response to the departures of Gantz and Eisenkot, opposition groups had declared a week of protests, including mass demonstrations and blocking highways.

When protestors reached the house of Netanyahu, there were attempts made to break through police barricades. A bonfire was lit in the street and police used a water cannon to disperse protestors, according to a report from Reuters.

In footage shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, a plain clothed police officer is seen punching and dragging a protestor by the hair. The footage which was posted by the account Bar Peleg came with a caption that described the event.

The caption read: "I talked to him [the protestor] after the court released him from custody and he says: "At first they said I hit the policeman and then they said I attacked him with a stick and then I kicked him. Everything is not true. I was standing there filming live and the police suddenly attacked the audience and started arresting people arbitrarily. Two jumped on me and grabbed my hair as if I were a dangerous terrorist. No one told me they were the police."

Newsweek has reached out to the account Bar Peleg, which posted the video and the caption, for comment.

In other footage posted on the account, the police use a water cannon on protestors. Protestors are seen running to try and get to safety while aiding other protestors who were lying injured.

In other video footage posted by the account Roni Green Shaulov, a protestor is dragged by police, who have an arm gripped around her neck. The post is accompanied with the caption "So far 8 have been arrested in Jerusalem and several wounded have been evacuated. A policeman was also injured and bleeding from the eye – it is not clear now from what. In the documentation: a protestor is led to a mobile in a chokehold."

Nissim Vaturi, a member of Netanyahu's Likud party suggested the anti-government protestors were like Hamas.

In an interview with the Israeli radio station Kol Brama, he said "There are a few branches of Hamas – the fighting branch of wicket terrorists who murder children, and the brand of the protests."

Protestors are primarily calling for an end to the Gaza war and early elections. Anti-government protests are sweeping Israel in what has been declared a "Week of Resistance."

It comes as Israel presses on with its offensive on Raff. According to a report from Aljazzeera, last night Israel struck the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing 17 people who were taking refuge in refugee camps.

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