Israeli Police Arrest 36-Year-Old Suspect After French Nun Attacked Near King David's Tomb

A 48-year-old French nun working at the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research in Jerusalem was attacked by a man on Tuesday near the area of King David's Tomb on Mount Zion, according to Independent Catholic News.

“A 48-year-old French nun working at the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, is recovering from her injuries after she was attacked by a man on Tuesday, near the area of King David's Tomb on Mount Zion”

Independent Catholic News

The report says a video shows the man running up behind her, pushing her to the ground, walking away, then returning to kick her before a passerby intervenes.

Independent Catholic News

Israeli police released a photo showing bruises on the right side of the sister's head, and the police announced on Wednesday that they had arrested a 36-year-old Jerusalem resident suspected of attacking the nun.

The Times describes the assault as taking place beside the Cenacle on Mount Zion near the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, where Jesus is believed to have held the Last Supper.

The Times adds that police arrested a 36-year-old man on suspicion of a racially motivated attack and released CCTV video showing a man sprints behind the 49-year-old French woman and shoves her to the ground.

In the CCTV footage described by The Times, the attacker—wearing the tzitzit—walks away before returning to kick the woman while she lies on the ground.

Father Olivier Poquillon, director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School, said the nun was the “victim of an unprovoked assault” in the late afternoon on Tuesday, and he also said, “We strongly condemn this act of sectarian violence and expect the authorities to act swiftly and decisively,” according to The Times.

Israeli police and government officials framed the assault as violence motivated by racist intent and directed against clergy, with Independent Catholic News quoting law enforcement language about seriousness.

The report says law enforcement treats with "utmost seriousness" any act of violence "motivated by potential racist intent and directed against members of the clergy."

Independent Catholic News

The Times reports that the Israeli authorities said there would be “zero tolerance” of violence towards members of religious communities after the nun was assaulted near one of Jerusalem’s holiest sites.

It also says the Israeli foreign ministry stated: “This shameful act stands in direct contradiction to the values of respect, coexistence and religious freedom upon which Israel is founded and to which it remains deeply committed.”

The Times adds that Father Olivier Poquillon “strongly condemn[ed] this act of sectarian violence” and expected authorities to act swiftly and decisively.

A spokesman for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem described the assault as a “repulsive and barbaric hate crime committed against a defenceless nun,” and the French consulate in Jerusalem said it strongly condemned “the aggression,” according to The Times.

Independent Catholic News also reports that Father Olivier Poquillon wrote on X on Thursday, thanking “those who came to help during the attack, and also diplomats, academics, and all those who offered support.”

Independent Catholic News places the nun’s assault within a broader pattern of hostility toward Christians, citing a Jerusalem-based interfaith organization and describing a “continued and expanding pattern of intimidation and aggression” against Christian communities.

“The Israeli authorities said there would be “zero tolerance” of violence towards members of religious communities after a nun was assaulted near one of Jerusalem’s holiest sites”

The Times

The report says a Rossing Centre for Education and Dialogue report documented what it described as a “continued and expanding pattern of intimidation and aggression” against Christian communities, “most visibly against clergy and church properties.”

It says the report recorded 155 incidents in 2025, including 61 physical assaults, 52 attacks on church property, 28 harassment cases and 14 incidents of defaced signage.

The report adds that the cases likely represent only a fraction of overall incidents, describing them as the “tip of the iceberg.”

Independent Catholic News also says harassment is occurring in a “sociopolitical climate increasingly intolerant of diversity and more assertive in exclusivist national-religious claims”, with Palestinian Christians particularly affected.

It further reports that Christian schools in Jerusalem face potential closure after Israel's Education Ministry barred teachers holding Palestinian-issued teaching permits from working in Israel, and that more than 200 Christian teachers are reportedly at risk of losing their jobs.

The Times similarly describes a “surge in anti-Christian animosity” and says the attack follows “a series of incidents suggesting a growing intolerance towards Christians in Israel.”

The Times connects the anti-Christian incidents to diplomatic and political pressure, describing how the episodes have attracted attention from senior figures within the US administration and wider Maga movement.

It says “What will be of more concern for Netanyahu is the fact that these episodes have attracted the attention of senior figures within the US administration and wider Maga movement, which has a large constituency among the Christian right.”

Independent Catholic News

The Times also reports that Israel’s leadership is “acutely aware of the fact that support for Israel among Americans has declined precipitously since the start of the war against Iran on February 28.”

It adds that Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel and a Baptist minister, called the decision to prevent the prelate from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre an “unfortunate overreach already having major repercussions around the world.”

The Times further states that the government was forced to make a similar condemnatory statement less than two weeks ago after an image of an Israeli soldier hitting a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon went viral, prompting international outrage.

In response, it says Netanyahu and the head of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) issued a rare public rebuke to the military, and it quotes the prime minister saying he was “shocked and saddened” by what happened.

Independent Catholic News also references the southern Lebanon incident, saying the Israeli army later removed the soldier involved from combat duty and sentenced them to 30 days.

While the core facts of the assault—an attack near Mount Zion, the arrest of a 36-year-old Jerusalem resident, and the release of video and photographs—appear across outlets, the reporting diverges in emphasis and even in the nun’s age.

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The Telegraph

Independent Catholic News says the nun is a “48-year-old French nun,” while The Times describes the victim as a “49-year-old French woman,” even though both accounts describe the same basic sequence of a man sprinting behind her, shoving her to the ground, and kicking her.

Independent Catholic News

The Times specifies the location as beside the Cenacle on Mount Zion near the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, while Independent Catholic News places the attack near the area of King David's Tomb on Mount Zion.

The Times frames the incident as part of a “surge in anti-Christian animosity” and includes detailed quotes from the Latin Patriarchate spokesman and the French consulate, while Independent Catholic News emphasizes the Hebrew University Faculty of Humanities statement that “This is not an isolated incident, but part of a troubling pattern of growing hostility toward the Christian community and its symbols.”

The Times also includes a broader political framing about Netanyahu and the IDF rebuke, and it quotes the Israeli foreign ministry’s statement about “respect, coexistence and religious freedom.”

In contrast, Independent Catholic News includes a detailed statistical accounting from the Rossing Centre report, including “155 incidents in 2025” and the breakdown of “61 physical assaults” and “52 attacks on church property.”

The Telegraph’s article could not be accessed in the provided source, but it shows an access-block message stating: “You are not authorized to access this content without a valid TollBit Token,” and it includes an Akamai reference number.