New York Times says reporter assaulted by troops in raid on party for freed Hamas prisoner

Soldier shoves loaded rifle into ribs of ex-ToI correspondent Aaron Boxerman, points gun at second journalist reporting from East Jerusalem celebration for released terror convict

Ashraf Zughayer (L), a 46-year-old convicted Palestinian terrorist who spent 23 years in prison serving six life sentences and was released by Israel, is greeted by a well-wisher at his family home in Kafr Aqab in East Jerusalem on January 26, 2025. (Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
Ashraf Zughayer (L), a 46-year-old convicted Palestinian terrorist who spent 23 years in prison serving six life sentences and was released by Israel, is greeted by a well-wisher at his family home in Kafr Aqab in East Jerusalem on January 26, 2025. (Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

A New York Times reporter covering an Israeli raid on the Jerusalem home of a recently released Palestinian terror convict was “roughed up” in an unprovoked assault by an Israeli soldier, the newspaper reported Saturday.

Troops also allegedly attacked the father of the freed inmate and others at the home as the military sought to crack down on celebrations feting the freeing of Palestinians convicted of terror activity, as part of a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas in Gaza.

Aaron Boxerman, a Jerusalem-based reporter covering breaking news for The New York Times, was at the home of Ashraf Zughayer covering a small celebration being held there to mark the terror convict’s release from prison, one of 200 inmates released Saturday.

The 46-year-old Hamas member was convicted in 2002 of driving suicide bombers to carry out attacks, including a 2002 bus bombing in Tel Aviv that killed five people.

According to The New York Times, soldiers entered the courtyard of the home with guns raised and without assessing who was there.

Boxerman, who had been standing near the entrance of the yard, was hit in the torso with the muzzle of a soldier’s rifle by as troops entered the home with their guns raised, according to the newspaper.

Aaron Boxerman. (courtesy)

“Before Mr. Boxerman had a chance to identify himself, the soldier hit him in the rib cage, leaving a large bruise,” the paper reported.

The same soldier also pointed his loaded gun at Natan Odenheimer, a second New York Times reporter at the scene, which the paper said was captured on video.

The newspaper said it lodged a complaint with the Israel Defense Forces over the assault on Boxerman, who covered Palestinian affairs and the Arab world for The Times of Israel from 2020 to 2022.

Both the reporters and troops had been drawn to the home in Kafr Aqab, an East Jerusalem neighborhood in the city’s far north, by video published earlier that day showing Zughayer in a Hamas headband being paraded through the streets by crowds waving Hamas flags.

Such displays are illegal in Israel, and officials have vowed to squelch overly boisterous celebrations for the prisoners being released as part of the deal, saying they constitute incitement to terrorism.

The Israeli military expressed regret over the assault on Boxerman. It said troops had been deployed to deal with what appeared to be gunfire being shot into the air heard in the videos, “without any prior knowledge that there were journalists in the area.”

The journalists were made to leave the area, which was declared a closed military zone, the army said.

“The IDF regrets any harm to journalists during military activities,” it said in a statement, adding that a probe was ongoing.

A freed Palestinian prisoner waving a Hamas flag gestures while being carried on a person’s shoulder after disembarking off one of the buses of the International Committee of the Red Cross upon arrival in Ramallah on January 25, 2025. (Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

According to the newspaper, troops also shoved Zughayer’s father, community organizer Munir Zughayer, in the chest during the raid and swore at other people.

Zughayer’s brother was detained at the scene for displaying Hamas paraphernalia, according to reports.

Saturday’s release of Palestinian prisoners was the second under the Gaza ceasefire, which has seen seven hostages freed by the Hamas terror group so far. Over 1,500 more Palestinian inmates, some of them serving multiple life sentences for murder, are slated to be let go in the coming weeks for more hostages.

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