Israeli Police Arrest Extremist Jew After Assaulting French Nun in Jerusalem

A French nun was violently assaulted in Jerusalem in an incident that triggered swift condemnation from French and Israeli officials and drew attention to what multiple outlets described as rising hostility toward Christians in the Old City.

“20 Minutes with AFP Published on April 29, 2026 at 9:40 p”

20 Minutes

Several reports place the attack on Tuesday afternoon near the Tomb of David on Mount Zion, adjacent to the Old City, with the BBC describing footage showing the nun being shoved from behind and then kicked.

20 Minutes

The 48-year-old nun, identified in multiple articles as a researcher affiliated with the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem, was attacked as she walked near the Cenacle, with the Vatican News account saying she was chased, pushed to the ground, and kicked.

AFP-linked reporting quoted the school’s director, Olivier Poquillon, describing that the nun “felt someone coming up behind her” and that “he threw her with full force onto a rock,” before “the man began to kick her repeatedly.”

The BBC and other outlets also described the attacker as wearing a Jewish kippah and tzitzit, while the Guardian said the attacker “appears to be Jewish.”

Police released a video of the arrest and images of bruising, and the BBC reported that the French Consulate in Jerusalem strongly condemned “the aggression.”

In parallel, Israeli police and the Israeli Foreign Ministry framed the case as motivated by nationalist or racist intent and said they would pursue accountability through the courts.

Israeli police arrested a 36-year-old man after the assault, and multiple outlets reported that he was held in custody for questioning while authorities examined possible motives.

AFP-based reporting in 20 Minutes and BFM said the suspect was arrested on Wednesday, the day after the assault, and that police placed him “in custody for questioning, with all possible motives being examined,” while refusing to provide AFP with the suspect’s nationality.

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The BBC similarly said police arrested the suspect on Wednesday and released a video of him being handcuffed by officers, while noting that “no charges have yet been brought.”

The Washington Post described the arrest as occurring after the attack Wednesday near David’s Tomb, outside Zion’s Gate, and said the man was arrested “on suspicion of a racially motivated attack,” remaining in custody.

OSV News added that Israeli police announced the arrest in a statement posted to X on April 29 and said the detention was expected to be extended, while quoting police language about “Policy of zero tolerance.”

Several reports also described how Israeli police framed the incident as an attack on clergy and religious communities, with the NBC News account quoting the police post that it “treats any attack on members of the clergy and religious communities with the utmost seriousness and applies a policy of zero tolerance to all acts of violence.”

In the arrest video, multiple outlets said an officer told the suspect in Hebrew that he was suspected of assault resulting in injuries and motivated by nationalist motive, with BFM quoting the police statement’s framing.

French and Israeli officials condemned the assault and called for justice, while religious and academic figures described it as part of a troubling pattern.

The French Consulate General in Jerusalem “strongly condemned the assault,” calling for the perpetrator to be brought to justice for “this act and for justice to be done,” and the same language appeared across 20 Minutes, BFM, and Le Figaro.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry also issued condemnation on X, with BFM quoting: “We strongly condemn this abhorrent attack,” and adding that “Israel remains firmly committed to protecting freedom of religion and worship for all confessions.”

Vatican News likewise described the ministry’s statement as a “shameful act” and said it emphasized Israel’s “firm policy against violence” and determination “to bring offenders to justice swiftly.”

Multiple outlets also carried statements from Father Olivier Poquillon, who thanked those who came to help and wrote on X that “The scourge of hatred is a shared challenge,” according to Vatican News.

The Guardian reported that Poquillon expected a firm response from the authorities and quoted the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences describing the assault as “not an isolated incident, but part of a troubling pattern of rising hostility toward the Christian community and its symbols.”

NBC News added a broader reaction from the Latin Patriarchate’s adviser, Farid Jubran, who told Crux that it was a “repulsive and barbaric hate crime committed against a defenseless nun.”

Several outlets placed the nun’s assault within a wider context of incidents involving Christian clergy and symbols in and around Jerusalem, and they tied the outcry to what they described as a pattern of harassment.

NBC News said the attack comes after “several recent incidents involving Christian communities in Israel and in neighboring Lebanon,” mentioning that “Last month, two Israeli soldiers were removed from combat duty” after a photo circulated online showing one soldier taking what appeared to be an axe or sledgehammer to the face of a statue of Jesus Christ in Debel, southern Lebanon.

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NBC News also said that in March, Israeli police prevented Christian faith leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass, describing it as another incident that caused international outrage and a swift public response from Israel’s government.

The BBC similarly described a March outcry after Israeli police prevented the top Roman Catholic leader in Jerusalem from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a private Mass on Palm Sunday, saying the Latin Patriarchate said it was “the first time in centuries” that had happened.

The Guardian added that Palestinian Christian communities in the West Bank have faced increasing harassment from Israeli settlers and said the ruling coalition government has fostered the rise of Israeli religious nationalism, while also noting that incidents had gone viral online.

OSV News cited the Religious Freedom Data Center, saying it estimated “181 incidents of “harassment targeting Christians, Christian symbols, and Christian institutions” were committed in Israel in 2025,” and that it reported “an additional 44 incidents between January and March 2026.”

In the immediate case, the BBC described that for years Christian clergy in Jerusalem have reported being frequently spat on, harassed, and even physically attacked by Israeli extremists, and it described the nun’s assault as occurring as she walked past the Cenacle on Mount Zion near the walls of the Old City.

The sources converge on the idea that the case will move through the legal system while institutions and officials emphasize accountability, and they also highlight that the broader issue of Christian safety remains unresolved.

Police said they plan to seek a court extension of the suspect’s custody, with Le Figaro stating “The police said they intend to ask the court for an extension of the suspect's custody,” and BFM reporting that police said they plan to seek a court extension as well.

AP News

BFM also quoted Olivier Poquillon saying, “We will closely monitor the civil and criminal judicial proceedings,” linking the school’s leadership to the next phase of the case.

Vatican News reported that “Pending the legal proceedings regarding the assault, Father Poquillon thanked “those who came to help during the attack, and also diplomats, academics, and all those who offered support.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry office statement, as quoted by OSV News, emphasized “Israel’s firm policy against violence and its determination to bring offenders to justice swiftly,” and it reiterated that “Violence against innocent individuals, and especially against members of religious communities, has no place in our society.”

NBC News included a warning from Wadie Abunassar of the Holy Land Christian Forum, who said he felt “great anger on the system and great sadness because I feel that this will not end anytime soon,” and he argued that deterrence is weak when “Many times in such cases there are no arrests.”

Across these accounts, the immediate consequence is custody and ongoing proceedings, while the longer-term stakes described by religious and academic voices are the protection of Christian clergy and symbols in Jerusalem’s Old City.