Israeli Soldier Sentenced to 30 Days for Vandalizing Jesus Statue in Lebanon
An Israeli soldier was jailed for 30 days after footage showed him using a sledgehammer to damage the head of a Jesus statue in Debel, Lebanon. Another soldier who filmed the incident received the same punishment, while six others were summoned for questioning. The event drew a response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stated Israel respects all religions.
middleeasteye.netIsrael announced on Tuesday that a soldier who damaged the head of a statue of Jesus in Debel, Lebanon, using a sledgehammer had been jailed for 30 days. Another soldier who filmed the attack also received a 30-day jail term. Six other soldiers were summoned for questioning regarding the incident, according to @AJEnglish reported.
Post by @AJEnglish on X
The footage of the Israeli soldier attacking the statue was released on April 19, 2026, and went viral on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the footage on Monday, stating that Israel respects all religions. No Israeli soldier has been charged with killing a Palestinian this decade.
Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh, who was a Christian, was killed in the occupied West Bank in 2022. In March, Netanyahu found himself having to explain the decision to block the passage of Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to mark Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar.
Before the end of the same day, Netanyahu had posted to social media, explaining that there had been “no malicious intent whatsoever, only concern for his safety”.
Last July, Netanyahu again found himself apologising for a strike on a church in Gaza following pressure from the Trump administration, when three of the hundreds of people sheltering there were killed and several others injured, including the parish priest who regularly spoke to the late Pope Francis.
In a statement issued through his office, the Israeli prime minister claimed he deeply regretted the strike on the church, which he said was an accident. “Every innocent life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of the families and the faithful,” he said, without referencing the almost 60,000 men, women and Palestinian children his forces had killed by that point in the war.
In 2025, the interreligious Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue recorded 155 incidents targeting Christians in Israel, a marked increase from the previous year. While physical assaults were the most common, comprising 39 percent of incidents, there were also accounts of spitting, hitting, and pepper-spraying.
In everyday Hebrew, people refer to Jesus as Yeshu, which is a curse word, rather than Yeshua, which is correct.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
6 events- 2026-04-21
Israel announced that the soldier who attacked the statue was jailed for 30 days, along with the soldier who filmed it; six others summoned for questioning.
1 source@AJEnglish - 2026-04-20
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the footage.
1 source@AJEnglish - 2026-04-19
Footage of the Israeli soldier damaging the Jesus statue in Debel, Lebanon, was released and went viral.
1 source@AJEnglish - 2026-03
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa blocked from entering Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday; Netanyahu explained no malicious intent.
1 source@AJEnglish - 2025-07
Israeli strike hit a third church in Gaza, killing three and injuring others including the parish priest; Netanyahu regretted the accident.
1 source@AJEnglish - 2022
Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh killed in occupied West Bank.
1 source@AJEnglish
Potential Impact
- 01
Potential strain on Israel's relations with Christian supporters in the US due to visible action against the soldier contrasting with inaction in other cases.
- 02
Increased scrutiny of Israeli military investigations, highlighting differences in responses to attacks on Christian versus Islamic sites.
- 03
Heightened awareness of incidents targeting Christians in Israel, possibly leading to more reports or advocacy.
- 04
Possible diplomatic responses from Christian leaders following the statue incident and prior events.
- 05
Broader discussion on religious respect in Israel, influenced by cultural language use like 'Yeshu'.
Transparency Panel
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