Two Israeli soldiers were attacked by a group of Israeli teens, after being accidentally mistaken for Arabs, according to Israeli media.

The assailants reportedly beat the off-duty soldiers with a hookah pipe and other blunt objects in a public park on Friday night. The two soldiers suffered light wounds, including to their face, and were taken to hospital for treatment.

“Soldiers go on vacation and are attacked by criminals just because they look like Arabs. It’s a disgrace,” Ynet news quoted the father as saying.

“They [almost] lynched them, it could have ended in death. How did we stoop so low? And even if they were Arabs, [does this mean] we should harm them? We are shocked and demand that the lawbreakers be brought to justice.”