JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Hundreds of charedi protesters confronted military police and police officers in Modi’in late Monday night after military police arrived at the home of a yeshiva student who was reportedly wanted for failing to report for military service.

Join our WhatsApp group

Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email

The student, a member of the Or Hachaim yeshiva headed by Rabbi Reuven Elbaz, was reportedly about 20 days away from his wedding when military police arrived at his apartment shortly before midnight and attempted to arrest him.

The attempted arrest triggered the activation of the “Black Color” alert system, which is used to mobilize charedi protesters in response to arrests or other enforcement actions involving yeshiva students. Hundreds of protesters subsequently arrived at the scene, including residents of Modi’in as well as demonstrators who came from Modi’in Illit, Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh and other cities.

מודיעין: המפגינים נכנסו לדירה בה שוהה העריק החרדי עם כוחות המשטרה, ומנהלים ״משא ומתן על שחרורו תמורת פיזור ההפגנה״ https://t.co/ghkOyOtGi6

— השטיבלאך (@Hashtiblach) October 5, 2026

Rabbis from the Or Hachaim yeshiva also arrived at the building, along with yeshiva students and protesters, to protest the attempted arrest.

According to Rabbi Dor Salti, the student’s rabbi, military police officers knocked on the door shortly before midnight.

“Two minutes before midnight, military police soldiers knocked on the door, and his sister opened it,” Salti said. “They did not let him change clothes because he was already wearing pajamas.”

לא יודע איך החיים הובילו אותי לזה.
אבל אחת בלילה ומאות חרדים הגיעו ללב שכונה במודיעין בעקבות מעצר של עריק חרדי.
"שחררו את החטוף".
המשטרה כאן אבל בכוחות מועטים.
כל השכונה ערב.
הישארו עמנו. https://t.co/wMnEXgnf9s

— Josh Breiner (@JoshBreiner) October 5, 2026

As the number of protesters grew, clashes broke out with police officers who were attempting to prevent them from entering the building. At one point, some of the protesters managed to enter and make their way to the 11th floor, where the student was staying.

Dozens of protesters eventually remained on the 11th floor together with military police officers and Israel Police officers, seeking to prevent the arrest and force the security forces to leave the building.

אנחנו רגע מאסון נוסף.

האירוע הלילה במודיעין, בו אנשי צבא ומשטרה מבצעים את עבודתם, ונקלעים למארב של מאות פורעים קיצוניים שמנהלים איתם מו״מ על יציאתם מהמקום בשלום, כמו כנופיית פושעים, הוא אירוע שאסור לנו להכיל.

זאת מורשת נתניהו-דרעי-סמוטריץ׳, ואך ורק על זה הבחירות.

אנחנו נחליף אותם בעוד שלושה שבועות, ונבטיח שפורעים קיצוניים שפוגעים במדינת ישראל לא ינהלו כאן מדינה בתוך מדינה, בחסות הממשלה.

בממשלה שלנו מי שלא ישרת, לא יקבל שקל.

— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) October 6, 2026

Police began bringing in reinforcements from nearby cities under a procedure known as “intensive care,” in which police vehicles are dispatched from neighboring stations to reinforce a station dealing with a major incident. Despite the reinforcements, additional yeshiva students continued arriving at the scene.

Police said that large numbers of officers were operating at the location in an effort to “rescue the soldiers and restore public order.”

After approximately an hour of confrontations, representatives of the Black Color protest network began negotiations with police officials over the student’s release. The talks continued for roughly an hour and a half to two hours before an agreement was reached. The military police officers eventually left the building, and the student was released.

One of the Black Color representatives then called on the protesters to disperse, announcing: “Gentlemen, the boy is in the hands of his rosh yeshiva. The boy has been released. Go home.”

Sources at the scene said the student’s personal circumstances, including the fact that he was only about 20 days away from his wedding, were raised during the negotiations. Police did not confirm that his impending marriage was the reason for his release.

The incident also included confrontations with residents of the apartment building. In one incident, water was sprayed from a balcony toward protesters. Video from the scene also appeared to show a police officer using force against one of the demonstrators.

Following his release, the student and Rabbi Salti traveled to Modi’in Illit, where they were greeted by protesters who had gathered there.

The confrontation comes amid growing tensions over military enforcement against charedi yeshiva students who have not complied with recruitment orders. While the government has increased enforcement against draft evaders, arrests at private homes have remained particularly contentious and have repeatedly triggered protests and confrontations.

Motti Leitner, chairman of the Haredi Public faction, condemned violent protests by extremist charedi groups following a previous incident involving an attempted arrest. “Violent thugs from the Jerusalem Faction are terrorizing the State of Israel,” Leitner said. “The place of these people is behind bars.”

“We, the charedim, are the immediate victims of this group of deranged violent people, and after us, the entire State of Israel,” he added. “The time has come to put an end to this.”

Monday night’s incident ended without the student being taken into custody, after protesters and police reached an agreement that allowed the military police officers to leave the building.