Israeli Court Sentences Man to 40 Months for Role in Wrong-Target Grenade Attack
The Tel Aviv District Court recently sentenced a man to 40 months in prison for his involvement in a grenade attack targeting the wrong house in Or Yehuda. The indictment was amended as part of a plea deal to clarify that an unidentified individual actually threw the grenade, while the defendant participated in planning and logistics. According to the revised indictment, the defendant conspired with others to throw a fragmentation grenade at a specific family's home, received the target address and grenade location, collected the grenade, and drove another unidentified person near the scene. That person then used an electric scooter to throw the grenade.
However, the grenade exploded near a different house unrelated to the dispute, causing property damage including shattered windows and door damage. Two people were inside at the time but were unharmed. The original indictment had accused the defendant of throwing the grenade himself, but the amended version states he waited in the car while another person carried out the act.
During sentencing, the prosecution argued the crime was a serious weapons offense involving premeditation and a potentially lethal grenade, emphasizing the defendant’s full complicity despite not physically throwing the device. They requested a sentence between 5 and 8 years, placing the defendant in the upper third of that range. The defense highlighted the defendant’s lesser role, the late-night timing on a deserted street, and that only property damage occurred, asking for 30 to 60 months and a sentence at the lower end.
Judge Shmuel Melamed ruled that the defendant bore full guilt as a joint perpetrator due to his involvement in planning and transporting the grenade, but gave weight to the fact he did not throw it and no physical injuries resulted. The court set a sentencing range of 24 to 54 months for the main case, placing the defendant in the middle-lower third and sentencing him to 34 months. Including five additional related cases, the total sentence was 40 months imprisonment, along with a 10,000 shekel fine and 15,000 shekels in compensation to the affected homeowners, plus suspended sentences.
