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Yona Schreiber (also identified as Yonah Shreiber), 36, a resident of the Peduel settlement in the occupied West Bank, was indicted on Thursday, May 7, 2026 .
The indictment comes less than a week after the April 28 attack, which was captured on surveillance cameras near King David’s Tomb on Mount Zion . Footage shows Schreiber running up behind the 48-year-old nun, who was wearing a white habit and a black veil identifying her as a Catholic sister, and shoving her with force to the ground. While she lay there, the footage shows him kicking her .
The nun suffered bruises to her face and legs . A passerby who attempted to intervene was also punched and kicked during the incident .
⚖️ ‘Assault Caused by Religious Hatred’
Prosecutors said Schreiber targeted the nun explicitly because of her religious garb as a Catholic sister .
He has been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm and assault motivated by hostility toward a public because of religion — a hate crime enhancement that carries a penalty of up to six years in prison, double the standard sentence for assault . The charges also include simple assault for the attack on the intervening male bystander .
The prosecution has requested that Schreiber remain in custody until the conclusion of legal proceedings. The case was filed at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court .
📈 Rising Hostility Towards Clergy
The attack has drawn widespread condemnation amid a documented rise in harassment directed at Christian clergy and symbols in the region .
The French consulate in Jerusalem condemned the attack and demanded a trial; the Faculty of Humanities at the Hebrew University expressed “profound shock,” warning that “this is not an isolated incident, but part of a troubling pattern of rising hostility towards the Christian community and its symbols” .
This follows several other recent incidents, including an Israeli soldier filmed bludgeoning a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon and another placing a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary .
📋 Key Takeaways
- The Suspect: Yona Schreiber, 36, of the Peduel settlement .
- The Charges: Assault causing actual injury and assault motivated by religious hostility .
- The Victim: A 48-year-old French Catholic nun, a researcher at the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, who was shoved and kicked .
- The Incident: Unprovoked attack caught on CCTV near King David’s Tomb in Jerusalem’s Old City .
- The Legal Context: The hate crime enhancement carries up to six years in prison; prosecution requests detention until the end of proceedings .