A 30-something Netanya resident, Yosef Rusi, was indicted on Sunday in Netanya Magistrate’s Court for a violent assault on several young men, including conscript soldiers, during the city’s Independence Day celebrations. Prosecutors say he attacked with a hammer and caused serious injury to one victim.
According to the indictment, the incident happened at about 2:30 a.m. on April 22 on Smilansky Street in Netanya, after Rusi and his brother left the celebration area. An argument broke out with Sasha Yosef Cohen and Lior Hakhmov, whom Rusi did not know. Prosecutors allege Rusi asked Lior, “What are you looking at?”, punched him in the face, kicked Sasha in the back and shouted, “Get out of here.”
After the two fled and contacted police, officers told them to keep tracking the suspect. They later saw Rusi again holding a hammer. At that point, four friends from compulsory military service, Leon G. Yakobstett, Maor Zunis, Ilya Avdiev and another friend, were walking by. Rusi allegedly shouted, “Get out of here,” rushed toward them with the hammer and his two brothers beside him, tried to strike Leon, then hit Ilya in the face. During attempts to separate the group, Ilya suffered a cut near his waist.
Prosecutors say Maor tried to help his friend and push Rusi away, but Rusi struck him in the head with the hammer and tried to hit him again. Rusi and his brother then fled. Zunis was seriously injured, suffering a skull fracture, concussion and internal bleeding, and was treated at Laniado Hospital. After leaving Israel, Rusi was arrested on June 14 at Ben Gurion Airport by Netanya police when he returned to the country, later released to house arrest, and now faces charges of simple assault, aggravated assault and attempted simple assault.
The case drew public attention after video of the attack circulated on social media. Zunis told Walla that he tried to intervene and then was hit: “I lost focus for a second and suddenly got the hammer to the head. I was fully conscious and saw that I was covered in blood.” He added, “Medically I can still recover from the injury, but mentally no. If he had hit me a little more to the right or left, I would not be here today, I would be dead.”
