Israeli Soldier Beats NY Times Reporter With Loaded Gun, Aims Rifle At Another Journalist: NYT

Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via AP

New York Times journalist Aaron Boxerman was reportedly assaulted by Israeli soldiers when they raided the family home of a freed Hamas member who he was interviewing.

Boxerman was in Jerusalem on Saturday to speak to Ashraf Zughayer, who had been freed earlier that day as part of a prisoner exchange deal for Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Zughayer was jailed in 2002 for driving terrorists to attack locations, including a deadly suicide bombing that killed six civilians.

The Times reported that during the gathering, IDF soldiers raided the family’s courtyard, assaulted Zughayer’s father, and intimidated the journalists present at the gathering.

One soldier struck Times Boxerman with the muzzle of his rifle, hitting him in the rib cage before he could identify himself. A second reporter, Natan Odenheimer, attempted to intervene, identifying himself as a journalist. The soldier, however, dismissed his credentials, swore, and pointed his rifle at him. The Times said it has video of the incident.

According to the Israeli military, the raid was conducted in response to “intelligence and videos of gunfire and incitement to terrorism in the area.” The military stated that soldiers aimed to “neutralize the threat of fire” and encountered “armed individuals.”

The Times has since lodged a formal complaint with the Israeli military regarding the assault. In response, the military expressed regret over “any harm caused to journalists” and stated that an investigation is underway.