Settlers reportedly attack Arab Israeli bus driver in West Bank using club inscribed with ‘revenge’; no arrests made

Extremist settlers attacked an Arab Israeli bus driver and repairman in the West Bank earlier this week, after the driver’s bus broke down near the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, Hebrew outlets report.

The attack took place Monday night near the recently evacuated Tzur Misgavi outpost, when a driver for the Electra-Afikim transit firm came to a halt after his bus malfunctioned. He called the bus company, which sent in a repairman to help fix the vehicle.

According to Army Radio, the bus driver came under attack by violent settlers who began throwing stones at the man and beating him with their fists.

When the repairman reached the area, he was also ambushed by the group, which attacked him with clubs and stones, Ynet reports. They shattered his car windows and scattered the equipment in his trunk out onto the asphalt.

תקרית חריגה השבוע – תקיפת נהגים ערבים ישראלים בידי יהודים סמוך לגוש עציון; צה״ל לא דיווח על האירועים החריגים לציבור

הפרטים >>

אירוע תקיפה חריג התרחש השבוע, ביום שני בשעות הלילה, סמוך ליישוב מיצד שנמצא סמוך לגוש עציון.
קבוצת פורעים יהודים תקפה באבנים ובאלות נהג אוטובוס… pic.twitter.com/xBllzctvXn

— דורון קדוש | Doron Kadosh (@Doron_Kadosh) January 7, 2026

The repairman suffered a head injury and was taken to the hospital by Magen David Adom paramedics, where his condition was defined as mild. It is unclear whether or not the driver was taken to the hospital.

Footage taken just after the attack shows the repairman in the driver’s seat of his car, as he appears to be unconscious.

One of the wooden clubs used to attack the repairman had a passage from the Torah inscribed on it, reading, “He who is for God, join me.” Written opposite the biblical verse is the word “revenge.”

The assailants fled the scene, according to reports. No suspects have been arrested in the incident.

The Electra-Afikim company stated that two of its employees were injured in Gush Etzion, and called the uptick of violence against public transit workers “a national scourge,” according to Ynet.

The incident was first reported by Army Radio after the IDF did not initially issue a statement on the incident, as is common.

In its response to Army Radio, the IDF says that forces conducted searches of the area and that police are investigating the incident.