Tel Aviv police question Palestinian suspected in spitting attack

Police in Tel Aviv say they are questioning a Palestinian man suspected of spitting on a female military officer on a bus in Ramat Gan, in a case that has drawn widespread attention in Israel.

According to police, the 24-year-old man from the West Bank city of Huwara had been in Israel illegally when the incident occurred.

“The suspect was questioned under caution by the Dan District over illegally entering or residing in Israel, simple assault and assault of a public servant,” police say in a statement.

He is expected to be arranged at the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court following questioning, police say.

Police said earlier that the man turned himself in to Israeli authorities in the West Bank overnight after a senior cop publicly threatened to send forces on a manhunt for him.

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