Israeli reservist rams vehicle into Palestinian man praying in West Bank

JERUSALEM, Dec 26 (Reuters) – An Israeli reservist soldier rammed his vehicle into a Palestinian man as he prayed on a roadside in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, after earlier firing shots in the area, the Israeli military said.

“Footage was received of an armed individual running over a Palestinian individual,” it said in a statement, adding the individual was a reservist and his military service had been terminated.

The reservist acted “in severe violation of his authority” and his weapon had been confiscated, the military said.

Israeli media reported that he was being held under house arrest.

The Israeli police did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The Palestinian man went to hospital for checks after the attack, but was unhurt and is now at home.

Video which aired on Palestinian TV and was verified by Reuters shows a man in civilian clothing with a gun slung over his shoulder driving an off-road vehicle into a man praying on the side of the road.

This year ​was one of the most violent on record for Israeli civilian attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to United Nations data that shows more than 750 injuries.

More than a thousand Palestinians were killed in the West Bank between October 7, 2023 and October 17, 2025, mostly in operations by security forces and some by settler violence, according to the U.N. In the same period, 57 Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks.

On Friday, a Palestinian assailant killed two people in northern Israel, police said.

(Reporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)