Nearly 4 Days Later: Driver Who Hit Yeshiva Student During Peleg Protest Still at Larg

Nearly four days after a yeshiva student was struck by a vehicle during Jerusalem Faction protests on Route 1, Israeli police confirmed Monday that the driver responsible for the hit-and-run remains at large and is actively evading authorities.

The incident occurred Thursday evening near the Ben Shemen interchange during massive anti-draft demonstrations that shut down major highways across central Israel. A 20-year-old yeshiva student was struck by a vehicle and sustained injuries, marking one of two hit-and-run cases that occurred within an hour during the protests.

According to police sources familiar with the investigation, investigators only succeeded in identifying the suspect driver on Sunday — three days after the incident. Despite the identification, the driver has not been located and is believed to be deliberately hiding from law enforcement.

The delay in identifying the suspect stands in sharp contrast to the second hit-and-run case from the same evening, where the driver — a 22-year-old woman from Qalansawe — turned herself in to police shortly after the incident and was questioned under caution on Friday.

That driver, who struck a 93-year-old pedestrian with her vehicle before fleeing the scene, was released to her home under restrictive conditions following her interrogation at the Bnei Brak-Ramat Gan police station. She claimed she panicked during the protest and feared for her safety after her vehicle was surrounded by demonstrators.

In a subsequent interview with i24NEWS, the woman stated that protesters had encircled her car, subjected her to verbal abuse, and created a threatening atmosphere. She claimed she deployed pepper spray in an attempt to disperse the crowd, but the situation escalated. According to her account, she attempted to leave the area and only realized she had struck someone after driving away from the scene.

The hit-and-run incidents occurred during widespread protests by the Jerusalem Faction that brought traffic across the greater Tel Aviv area to a standstill. The demonstrations erupted following the transfer of 17 arrested yeshiva students to military prison — a move the hardline ultra-Orthodox faction characterized as crossing a red line in what they describe as a persecution campaign against Torah scholars.

Route 4 was completely blocked between the Sheva and Mesubim junctions as thousands of protesters took to the streets. Police deployed heavy forces across central Israel and warned drivers to avoid the entire Gush Dan region as the protests coincided with three major concerts in the area.

Police have not released additional details about the suspect's identity or the specific circumstances that led to the three-day delay in identification. The investigation remains active as authorities continue their search for the driver.