A 15-year-old boy was killed Thursday afternoon after falling from a height of about 100 meters at a construction site at the entrance to Jerusalem during the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) demonstration against drafting yeshiva students into the army.
Hundreds of thousands of haredi protesters crowded Jerusalem on Thursday for the "Million Man March" and clashed with counterprotesters and journalists covering the events.
Dozens of protesters were recorded climbing a crane and multiple high-rise construction sites.
According to police reports, some individuals who climbed the construction sites are now refusing to come down. Fire and Rescue services are working to remove protesters from the crane and construction sites.
Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics found the haredi teen unconscious and without signs of life, suffering from multiple severe injuries.
“He was lying at the foot of a high-rise construction site, without a pulse and not breathing,” said MDA paramedic Yishi Shemesh and emergency medical technician Daniel Eliyakim.
Haredi teen falls to death from crane during Jerusalem protest
“We performed medical examinations, but his injury was critical, and unfortunately, we had no choice but to declare him dead.”
The protests have led to transportation disruptions throughout Jerusalem and surrounding areas, with thousands of officers deployed throughout the city.
"We were informed at the scene that the youth fell from a significant height - from a construction site where he was present during the mass prayer rally," United Hatzalah EMTs Yosef Gabai, Moshe Fordsham, and Eliyahu Lapidot stated.
"Tragically, he was pronounced deceased at the scene by paramedics due to the severe nature of the traumatic injuries he sustained."
Israel police stated that officers were "on site and have begun investigating the circumstances of the incident."
Officials are investigating whether or not the fall was a suicide, rather than an accident.