Summary of the Investigation Into the Riots in the Town of Jit in Samaria

The investigation into the riots in Jit that took place on Thursday, August 15th, 2024, was presented to the Commanding Officer of the Central Command, MG Avi Bluth.

The investigation revealed that on the evening of Thursday, a warning was received by the ISA about an organized group of Israeli civilians in vehicles planning to carry out nationalist crime in the Yitzhar area. Numerous IDF, Israel Border Police, and Israel Police forces were preemptively deployed in the area at several key intersections and main roads, in order to prevent the incident. Around 20:00, approximately one hundred masked Israeli civilians entered the town of Jit in Samaria, set fire to three vehicles, and two buildings in the town, and threw rocks and Molotov cocktails. 

At 20:06, the commanding officer of the brigade declared an emergency procedure in Jit, and the first military force arrived in the town within six minutes of the declaration. The investigation revealed that the first force did not manage to fully gauge the situation. They attempted to disperse the rioters and prevent harm to Palestinians, but they needed to act more decisively. After a few minutes, additional reserve troops and Israel Border Police forces arrived and began to contain the rioters. The troops acted assertively, risking their lives, containing the rioters, and pushing them out of the town using crowd dispersal means and firing into the air. Half an hour after the incident began, all Israelis were removed from the town. During the incident, IDF troops rescued and assisted Palestinian families, including women and children, to escape from burning buildings and provided them with first aid. Israel Border Police troops deployed on the roads in the area prevented additional Israelis, who intended to join the riots, from reaching the town. During the incident, a Palestinian was killed by gunfire, and another Palestinian was injured. The shooting is under investigation by the Israel Police and the ISA.

It was also revealed that at the beginning of the incident, several members of the rapid response team from a nearby community, who were not in active reserve duty, arrived at the scene without authorization, dressed in uniform, and acted contrary to the authority defined for the members of the rapid response team. Following the investigation of the incident, two members of the rapid response team were dismissed, and their weapons were confiscated.

The investigation revealed that there was an alert across the region, and in accordance with this the troops were organized based on previous incidents in the area at main junctions and roads. Following this, the troops were extensively deployed at the entrance to the town of Jit, preventing additional rioters from entering the town and thereby averting an even graver incident.

After no suspects were apprehended on the day of the incident, last week, based on ISA intelligence, four suspects were apprehended—three adults and one minor—on suspicion of involvement in the serious incident in the town of Jit. The suspects have been transferred to police for investigation. At the end of the investigation, three of the adults were detained under an administrative order. The investigation into the events is ongoing, and additional arrests are planned.

The Commanding Officer of the Central Command, MG Avi Bluth, emphasized that in incidents of this nature, it is crucial to declare an emergency procedure as quickly as possible in order to mobilize all troops and reduce their arrival time in the area. Additionally, there is a need to improve the way of controlling troops in the area to achieve the maximum effectiveness of all officials involved.

The Commanding Officer of the Central Command, MG Avi Bluth, expressed his appreciation for the serious, sharp, and professional investigation, which provides a clear picture. MG Bluth stated, "This is a very serious terror incident in which Israelis set out to deliberately harm the residents of the town of Jit, and we failed by not succeeding to arrive earlier to protect them. The responsibility lies first and foremost with me as the head of the system, and I will do everything to improve it. I commend the IDF reservists who arrived at the scene, initiated contact, and acted while risking their lives to save the lives of Palestinians trapped in houses that caught fire. The IDF, Israeli Border Police, ISA, and Israel Police are working in full cooperation regarding this incident and in general to eradicate this phenomenon. There is still lots of work ahead of us, and we will be judged by our actions, not our words. The incident is still ongoing, and it will not be closed until we bring the perpetrators to justice."