Tragedy in Jerusalem: Teen killed as bus hits ultra-Orthodox conscription protest

Jerusalem: A mass protest against the conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli military turned deadly Tuesday when a bus struck a crowd of demonstrators, killing a teenage boy and injuring three others, emergency officials said.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service reported that an 18-year-old was found trapped beneath the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. Three other pedestrians sustained injuries when the bus initially ploughed into a group of protesters before continuing down the street.

The incident occurred as thousands of ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, men gathered in Jerusalem to demonstrate against a new law mandating their enlistment. The Israeli military is currently grappling with severe manpower shortages following two years of conflict across multiple regional fronts.

According to a police statement, the rally descended into violence when a "small group of rioters" began blocking traffic, damaging buses, and setting fires to trash bins. Authorities said the group assaulted journalists and pelted officers with eggs and stones.

The bus driver, who was arrested at the scene, reportedly told investigators that his route was blocked by rioters who assaulted him, leading to the fatal collision as he attempted to navigate the crowd. Local media reported that police have ruled out terrorism as a motive for the incident.

The conscription crisis has pushed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government to the brink of collapse. While the opposition and some coalition members demand an end to the decades-old exemption for religious students, Netanyahu’s traditional ultra-Orthodox allies have threatened to topple the administration if the draft is enforced.

"Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene," the emergency agency said, marking the second death of a teenager during anti-conscription protests in recent months. In late October, a boy fell to his death from a high-rise during a similar demonstration; police at the time characterised that incident as a likely suicide.

The ultra-Orthodox make up approximately 14% of the Jewish population in Israel. The current political deadlock has left Netanyahu's coalition with a razor-thin majority of 60 seats in the 120-member Knesset, after the United Torah Judaism party withdrew and Shas ministers resigned their cabinet posts in protest of the draft bill.

With inputs from AFP