WATCH BREAKING: Teen Killed as Bus Driver Ploughs Through Jerusalem Anti-Draft Protest

A night of intense civil unrest in Jerusalem has ended in tragedy after an 18 year old man was struck and killed by a public bus during a large scale protest against military conscription. The incident took place at the intersection of Ohel Yehoshua and Shamgar streets, where hundreds of members of the ultra-Orthodox community had gathered to block roads and demonstrate. While the police have officially ruled out a terrorist motive, the circumstances surrounding the death have sparked a massive investigation into the conduct of the driver and the volatility of the protest itself. Three other teenagers, aged 14 and 17, were also injured in the collision and were transported to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital with light injuries.

According to preliminary police reports and harrowing eyewitness accounts, the situation turned violent as protesters surrounded a Line 64 bus operated by the Extra transportation company. The driver, who was later detained for questioning, told officers that he felt threatened as protesters blocked his path, spat at him, and damaged the vehicle. In an attempt to flee the area, the driver accelerated through the crowd. "The driver tried to move forward without success because protesters blocked him," one witness told local reporters, adding that he eventually hit the gas to escape, striking several people in the process.

The most tragic aspect of the incident involved the 18 year old victim, who reportedly clung to the side of the bus or became trapped underneath it as the driver sped away. Dr. Aryeh Jaffe, a volunteer physician with United Hatzalah, described the gruesome scene that followed. "We were called to a nearby street where the bus had stopped and found someone trapped underneath," Jaffe said. He explained that emergency teams had to lie under the engine to assess the victim, only to find him without a pulse and suffering from catastrophic injuries. Medical teams were forced to declare him dead at the scene after it was discovered the bus had traveled hundreds of meters with the young man trapped beneath the chassis.

The Ministry of Transportation has issued a strong condemnation of the event, summoning the owners of the Extra bus company for an urgent hearing. While the ministry emphasized that public drivers must act with responsibility and preserve human life at all costs, the police also noted that the protest had devolved into a riot. According to official statements, a small group of participants threw stones and eggs at officers, set fire to trash cans, and even attacked a crew of journalists, one of whom required medical treatment after being hit by a rock. As Jerusalem mourns the loss of a young life, the investigation continues to determine if the driver’s actions were a desperate act of self defense or a criminal display of negligence.