Palestinian accused of spitting on soldier released to house arrest

The Palestinian man accused of spitting on a female IDF officer on a bus headed to Ramat Gan has been released to house arrest, Ynet reports, after police requested to keep him in custody until the end of proceedings.

Issuing the decision, Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court judge Benyamin Hirschel-Doron explains that “despite the strong sense of disgust” he feels for the defendant’s actions, it is difficult to say he poses a danger justifying extended custody.

Ahmad Muhammad, 24, from the West Bank town of Huwara, turned himself in to the police Monday night after his family received a call from the cops regarding the spitting incident.

Police suspect Muhammad was the young man who spat on a female IDF officer Sunday morning, while on a bus headed to Ramat Gan. The entire incident was filmed by a bus security camera, which showed the young man alighting from the bus immediately afterwards.

Muhammad is accused of assaulting a public servant and illegally residing in Israel, but reportedly insists that he wasn’t in Israel at the time of the spitting incident and is a victim of mistaken identity.

A young man spits on an Israeli female soldier before getting off the bus. #Israel #IDF #WestBank #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/XO4zC7urya

— Ali Shunnaq (@schunnaq) May 18, 2025

Police criticize Hirschel-Doron’s decision to release Muhammad to house arrest, complaining that the ruling will “undermine deterrence” and legitimize attacks on soldiers in uniform.

At the start of today’s hearing, the defendant’s public attorney accused police of beating Muhammad while he was in detention. The judge ordered the complaint be further examined.

Yesterday, Muhammad was moved from a criminal detention center to a security facility at the behest of Prison Service chief Kobi Yaakobi.

Footage of his transfer to the facility shows the blindfolded suspect as he is unloaded from a truck by four masked prison guards and carried into the detention center.

תיעוד: החשוד ביריקה על קצינת צה”ל הועבר מבית מעצר פלילי למתקן ביטחוני בהוראת נציב שב״ס קובי יעקובי pic.twitter.com/FzViaeQmC7

— לירן תמרי | Liran Tamari (@liran__tamari) May 21, 2025