Two arrested for allegedly shooting at anti-government protesters with airsoft gun |
Police have arrested two men on suspicion of shooting toward anti-government protesters with an airsoft gun during a Saturday night demonstration in Beersheba. No injuries were reported.
The detainees, both residents of the southern city in their 20s, were arrested at the scene after police searched their car and found the device.
Before the incident, demonstrators “spoke to the police two or three times, asking them to come and protect them from the taunts of passing Bibists,” according to the Protest Detainee Legal Support Front, which provides pro bono legal representation to anti-government protesters, using a term to refer to supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“A car went in circles around the protest and shot airsoft bullets at protesters, hitting elderly demonstrators,” the group said.
There have been a number of incidents of violence by government supporters against those attending rallies opposed to, or perceived to be opposed to, the government, including demonstrations in support of a hostage deal with Hamas.
רכב נסע במעגלים סביב מוקד המחאה, ומתוכו נורו כדורי איירסופט לעבר המפגינים, ופגע במספר מפגינים מבוגרים. 02/05/2026 באר שבע צילמה:יעל ויינשטיין pic.twitter.com/GRc7axf2YU — אלימות ישראל (@Alimut_Israel) May 2, 2026
רכב נסע במעגלים סביב מוקד המחאה, ומתוכו נורו כדורי איירסופט לעבר המפגינים, ופגע במספר מפגינים מבוגרים.
02/05/2026 באר שבע צילמה:יעל ויינשטיין pic.twitter.com/GRc7axf2YU
— אלימות ישראל (@Alimut_Israel) May 2, 2026
Meanwhile, about 1,000 people attended a protest........