Two female Israeli soldiers rescued after they are chased by huge crowd of ultra-Orthodox men during riot

Rioters in Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv, turned over an Israeli police car and set fire to a motorcycle amid anger over conscription NewsWorldMiddle EastTwo female Israeli soldiers rescued after they are chased by huge crowd of ultra-Orthodox men during riotRioters in Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv, turned over an Israeli police car and set fire to a motorcycle amid anger over conscriptionAlex Croft Monday 16 February 2026 19:31 GMTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverTwo female IDF soldiers chased by mob of ultra-Orthodox Jewish menYour support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreIsraeli police arrested 28 people after a large mob of ultra-Orthodox men chased two female IDF soldiers through the streets.Chaotic scenes broke out in the city of Bnei Brak amid anger over conscription orders, with police using stun grenades to control the situation. Footage from Sunday afternoon shows two women being escorted away by police while a huge crowd of men chased after them, shouting and kicking wheelie bins along the street. open image in galleryPolice arrested 28 men on Sunday as chaotic scenes unfolded in the city of Bnei Brak amid anger over conscription orders (AP)The rioters injured five police officers, overturned a patrol car and set fire to a police motorcycle, reports say. All 28 Haredi men and teenagers arrested during the riots have now been freed, a lawyer representing the suspects told Israeli media. Shlomo Hadad told The Times of Israel that his clients had been freed because there was “no evidence for anything”, claiming the arrests were a “show for the media”. open image in galleryAll 28 men have now been freed, a lawyer said; rioters injured five police officers, overturned a patrol car and set fire to a police motorcycle, reports say (AP)But two of the suspects have been ordered to five days of house arrest after the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court said there was “reasonable suspicion” they had assaulted a police officer, according to Israeli outlet Ynet. Police are still searching for the rioters who overturned a patrol car and set fire to the motorcycle, Tel Aviv District police commander Haim Sargaroff told reporters on Sunday. Rabbi Dov Lando, the spiritual leader of the Degel HaTorah party, was forced on Sunday to deny that his rhetoric was responsible for inciting violence against Israel’s military forces. open image in galleryPolice are searching for rioters who overturned a patrol car (Reuters)The rabbi ordered students at ultra-orthodox schools to ignore, on religious grounds, conscription orders to the IDF, an order usually received at the age of 18. Non-compliance can see teenagers sent to prison, as has been the case with dozens of conscientious objectors of Israel’s war in Gaza. A 2024 order by Israel’s Supreme Court ended a long-standing exemption for Haredi Jews for conscription, after which the military began drafting ultra-orthodox men. open image in galleryOpposition leader Yair Lapid said the violence was not it is ‘not an isolated phenomenon’ (AP)“What is this nonsense? Where did he use rhetoric that even hinted that one should go to demonstrations or use force or do something similar to that,” a spokesman for Rabbi Lando said.Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, also responded to the violence while speaking in the Knesset on Monday. “What we saw yesterday in Bnei Brak is not an isolated phenomenon. It happens time and time again under this government. You are permitting [the shedding of] the blood of the IDF. You are against the IDF,” he said.Mr Lapid added that such violence “isn’t just happening in Bnei Brak”, referencing recent attacks by Israeli settlers against IDF troops in the West Bank.More aboutIDFIsraelPoliceRiotsultra-orthodoxJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesCommentsMost popularPopular videosBulletinRead next