A reservist settler armed by the Israel Defense Forces opened fire on an Israeli paraglider in the West Bank this morning, after assuming it was a terrorist infiltration.
The reservist is serving in one of the IDF’s so-called area defense forces, known by its Hebrew acronym Hagmar. Such units comprise local settlers serving in reserve duty.
According to the IDF, the reservist “identified a powered paraglider that entered the airspace of an Israeli community in eastern Gush Etzion.”
“The soldier fired at the paraglider,” the military says, adding that “no damage was caused and there were no casualties,” and that the paraglider then moved away from the area.
The IDF says that the paraglider had coordinated his flight with the military, but after taking off from the Jordan Valley area, he “deviated from the airspace assigned to him.”
“The incident is under investigation,” the military adds.
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Saturday, May 2, 2026
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