Car that killed 16-year-old Palestinian cyclist reportedly belongs to minister’s security detail

The car that collided with and killed a 16-year-old Palestinian cyclist this morning near Hebron in the West Bank reportedly belongs to the Magen security company, which protects cabinet ministers.

Palestinian media names the victim as Mohammad Majdi al-Jabari.

It is unclear which minister the car was meant to protect. The Maariv daily reports that, according to initial findings, the car belongs to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s security convoy. But Haaretz reports, citing a security source, that the car was en route to guard Settlements Minister Orit Strock.

Ben Gvir lives in the Hebron-area settlement of Kiryat Arba. Strock lives in Hebron.

In a statement, Ben Gvir’s office says that the “vehicle is not the minister’s and the minister was not at the scene.”

“As for the incident itself: the Arab minor burst into the road at a red light, and the security guard did all he could to avoid an accident and was even injured himself and at the moment is being treated at a hospital,” the statement reads.