Israel Hayom correspondent Daniel Siryoti was assaulted on Saturday while on assignment in northern Israel and sustained several injuries. The police have launched an investigation into the incident.
Siryoti was attacked by a group of ultra-Orthodox men after they noticed the "Press" sticker on his car. The attackers were eventually warded off by a passerby who shielded him with her body.
He was rushed to the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, where he was diagnosed with a minor concussion, several lacerations, defensive wounds, and multiple contusions.
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"Yesterday [Saturday] evening I was on my way to speak with the relatives of a victim of a car crash. When I arrived on their street, I was spotted by a group of haredi youth," Siryoti said.
The attackers, he stressed, had absolutely no connection to the deceased's family.
"They noticed that there was a 'Press' sticker on my car. They asked if I was a reporter and started to curse me, said we [journalists] were all leftists traitors. At one point, another guy came by, riding an electric bicycle and blocked my way. He had a child with him on the bike. I asked him, 'Why put the boy at risk? If I were to hurt you, I would go to jail.'"
"The next thing I know, I was punched in the face and six or seven guys jumped me. One of them pulled out a pocket knife and tried to stab me in the stomach. The others kept punching me, they knocked some teeth out. Another guy came by and pulled out a spike and they goaded him to stab me," he said.
"Fortunately, two people walked by and intervened. The woman literally shielded me with her body and yelled at them, 'If you want to stab him you'll have to go through me.' I have no idea who she was, but the police do. She and the man she was with were able to get me to my car."
Siryoti was able to drive to a nearby police station, where he collapsed. The officers called paramedics who rushed him to Rambam.
Israel Hayom's Editor-in-Chief Boaz Bismuth condemned the attack and wished Siryoti a speedy recovery.
"Daniel Siryoti is a dedicated professional and one of the best journalists in Israel, and a good friend. Yesterday he was physically assaulted simply because he was doing his job. Israel Hayom is very proud of you, Daniel," he tweeted.
