Palestinian bus driver in Israel faces racist attack from youths

A Palestinian bus driver was attacked by Jewish youths in Israel on August 23rd, in the most recent case of racist attacks experienced by the Palestinian citizens of Israel, according to Middle East Eye.

The incident, which took place in central Israel’s Petah Tikva, was recorded, and footage of the attack has been spreading online. One of the aggressors was seen to smashing a windshield inside the bus with an emergency hammer, next to a woman carrying a baby. He then proceeded to break one of the bus doors.

The bus driver, Mohammed Abd al-Hadi, spoke to Ynet, an Israeli news website. He told Ynet that the incident happened after he asked the youths to stop screaming and vandalising the bus.

“They insulted me and shouted racist sayings like ‘Jew – good, Arab – son of a bitch’ and ‘death to Arabs’,” he said. He added: “A Jewish passenger confronted them, and they started breaking windows on and off the bus, causing panic, screaming and crying among the passengers.” A woman was consequently injured due to smashed glass, according to al-Hadi.

He spoke further of the violence endured by Palestinians in Israel. “We’ve witnessed a lot of things, we suffer from verbal and physical violence, and that’s known to everyone.” Al-Hadi made an appeal to the government to address this situation of violence, to stop the continuation of these incidents.

The Abraham Initiatives commented on the incident. The organisation advocates for equal rights for Palestinians in Israel, and told Middle East Eye that the incident was not “exceptional” but formed “part of a dangerous wave of violence and racism against Arab citizens of Israel.”

The racism expressed by these Israeli youths has likely stemmed from the violent attacks inflicted by Israel on Palestinians in Gaza, since October 2023. Reportedly, 53,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the Gaza conflict until May 2025.

Authorities in Israel have been seen as inept when dealing with criminal instances targeting Palestinians in Israel. The Israeli police have been criticised in recent years due to their lack of action surrounding this matter.