Jerusalem, 28 September, 2025 (TPS-IL) — The Lod District Court on Sunday sentenced eight men for their role in the 2021 lynching of Yigal Yehoshua, a 56-year-old resident of the city, during a wave of Israeli-Arab riots. The court handed down prison sentences ranging from three to 14 years and ordered the defendants to pay over NIS 900,000 ($268,000) in compensation to Yehoshua’s family.
The attack on Yehoshua came during two weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas. Israeli Arabs rioted in eastern Jerusalem, Haifa, Beer-Sheva, Lod, Akko, Tiberias, and Ramla, among other communities, engaging in violence that included shootings, stabbings, arson, and home invasions. Ten synagogues were burned, and hundreds of Jewish homes and cars were damaged.
According to the court, the defendants set up roadblocks in Lod with the intent of targeting Jewish residents. The attackers threw stones at vehicles, selecting their victims based on nationality. When they identified Yehoshua as Jewish, they hurled stones at his car from close range. Although he initially managed to escape, Yehoshua crashed into another vehicle near his home, sustaining injuries that would later prove fatal.
Yehoshua, an electrician and longtime local resident, was known for his dedication to the community, including helping elderly residents and Holocaust survivors. Neighbors described him as “charming and kind-hearted.” He left behind a wife and two sons. After the attack, Yehoshua was rushed to Assaf Harofeh Hospital in critical condition. Despite the efforts of intensive care staff, he died from his injuries a few days later. His family agreed to donate his organs.
In a statement accompanying the verdict, the judges emphasized the character of the victim’s family. “This was a family of values, striving for equality and coexistence, as Yehoshua himself was,” the court wrote. “We placed before our eyes the pain of the family members, the sense of great loss they are experiencing, and their need for rehabilitation and treatment.”
Seven of the defendants—Yousef Al-Kadaim, Walid Al-Kadaim, Karim Bahloul, Iyad Marhala, Khaled Hassona, Ahmed Danon, and Kamal Dif Allah—reached plea agreements with the prosecution last year. Under the agreements, charges of murder under aggravated circumstances were dropped. They admitted to aggravated assault, deliberate vehicle sabotage with racial intent, and stone-throwing, but not to allegations of a racial or terrorist motive. Muhammad Hassona, the eighth defendant, underwent a full trial and was convicted of stone-throwing and obstruction, also on a nationalistic basis.
The judges noted that while the defendants expressed anger and a desire for revenge due to prior clashes in Lod, such feelings did not justify targeting innocent civilians.
“A review of the defendants’ statements shows that the motive for their actions was nationalistic—an intention to harm Jews wherever they are, out of hatred based on their national identity,” the court wrote. “Although the actions of Jewish rioters triggered anger, this does not justify attacks motivated by racism.”
Sentences varied according to each defendant’s involvement. One was sentenced to 14 years in prison, two others to 13.5 years, three to 13 years, another to 12 years, and the final defendant received three years.
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