Israeli court acquits officer of journalist assault citing '7 October PTSD'

An Israeli court overturned the conviction of an officer who assaulted a Palestinian photojournalist in 2023, citing that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of responding to the 7 October attacks.

On Tuesday, the Jerusalem Magistrate Court sentenced officer Yitzhak Sofer to 300 hours of community service for his assault on Anadolu Agency reporter Mustafa Alkharouf.

Sofer was filmed in December 2023 beating Alkharouf while the journalist was covering events in occupied East Jerusalem.

At the time, Palestinians had gathered near the Al-Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayers amid heavy Israeli restrictions.

Video footage shows Sofer and other officers drawing their weapons, throwing Alkharouf to the ground, and repeatedly beating and kicking him.

Cameraman Faiz Abu Ramila, who was with Alkharouf, was also attacked. Alkharouf was hospitalised with multiple injuries to his face and body.

In September, Sofer had been convicted of assault causing bodily harm and initially faced a six-month community service sentence, following a recommendation by Mahash, the Justice Ministry unit that investigates police misconduct.

Judge Amir Shaked ultimately accepted the officer’s attorney’s request to cancel the conviction, replacing it with a sentence of community service.

💢 Anadolu photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf violently attacked by Israeli army in occupied East Jerusalem while covering Palestinian prayers near Al-Aqsa Mosque

➡️ Incident highlights ongoing restrictions on Friday prayers and press freedom in region https://t.co/exT6XqjEaA pic.twitter.com/pqugK9HnOt

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) December 15, 2023

The judge said that Sofer suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to his service as a police officer during the 7 October Hamas-led attack, according to Haartez. 

The judge repeatedly noted that Sofer has “no prior criminal record” and has devoted his life to Israel’s security. He argued that maintaining the conviction could inflict harm “disproportionate to the severity of his actions”.

“The court cannot ignore this when deciding whether the defendant’s conviction should stand,” Shaked said.

“While the assault for which he was convicted is serious and crosses the criminal threshold, each case must be judged on its own merits. It would be inappropriate to categorically block the possibility of overturning a conviction, particularly for those in uniform who may have erred,” the judge added.

Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, attacks on and arrests of journalists in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the besieged enclave have surged sharply.

In early December, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) described the Israeli army as “the worst enemy of journalists” in its annual report, noting that nearly half of all reporter killings worldwide occurred in Gaza.

Foreign journalists and international media outlets have also faced raids, arrests, and intimidation.