IDF soldier suspected of assaulting Haaretz photographer says she struck him first

An Israel Defense Forces soldier suspected of assaulting a Haaretz photographer filed a complaint against her on Sunday with the Hebron police for allegedly striking him first.

The photographer, Tess Scheflan, vehemently rejects the soldier's claim, and says she intends to counter-sue.

Scheflan suffered light head injuries on Saturday and was taken by an ambulance to hospital after the soldier allegedly punched her in the face and hit her with the butt of his rifle while she was on the ground.

The soldier's commanders urged him to lodge an official complaint with the Hebron district police, after claiming the initial investigation into the incident revealed conflicting versions of the events as recounted by the photographer and the soldiers at the scene.

The soldier admitted to assaulting the photographer, and his commanders then ruled that he had disobeyed army orders and that the assault was not justified.

Scheflan, who is a staffer for the Jini photo news agency, had been staying in Hebron over the weekend, alongside Haaretz reporter Fadi Eyadat and another photographer, to cover the Palestinian families whose homes had been temporarily commandeered by IDF soldiers during the forced eviction of settlers from a disputed home in the West Bank city.