Israeli Police Arrest Young Man Driving Stolen Car Who Is Also Military Absconder Amid Protests

On Friday, ultra-Orthodox protesters gathered near Ofar Prison to demonstrate against the detention of a young ultra-Orthodox man who was found to be a military absconder. The protesters briefly blocked traffic on Highway 443 toward Jerusalem, prompting security forces to intervene and use stun grenades to disperse the crowd. The incident escalated into clashes between the protesters and security personnel.

The police reported that the situation began when Border Police officers arrested a man in his twenties from Ashdod who was driving a stolen vehicle. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that he was absent without leave from military service. After about 30 minutes, the "Black Flag" app, which alerts about absconder arrests, advised people not to come to the site following clarifications that the detainee would not be handed over to military police.

Currently, about 40 ultra-Orthodox youths are held in the military prison, most of whom were arrested during random encounters with police or attempts to leave the country. Approximately half were identified at Ben Gurion Airport trying to reach Europe and then Ukraine to pray at the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov for the Jewish New Year. One detainee was also involved in a fraud investigation by the Lahav 433 unit and was transferred to military police after being found to be an absconder.

The report includes videos and photos from social media used under copyright law provisions. The police continue to monitor and manage protests related to military absconders in the ultra-Orthodox community.