Daycare teachers in Kiryat Gat to face nearly 600 charges of infant abuse
The teachers, aged 23 and 34, were arrested on Sunday after police reviewed extensive surveillance footage from the past few month
The Israel Police announced on Monday that it would recommend indictments against two daycare teachers from Kiryat Gat on nearly 600 charges of abuse and assault on infants.
This follows a comprehensive investigation that revealed systemic abuse in a daycare facility in the southern city.
The teachers, aged 23 and 34, were arrested on Sunday after police reviewed extensive surveillance footage from the past few months. The evidence gathered pointed to consistent and severe abuse of infants aged 18 months to two years.
The investigation began in early April following a complaint about suspected abuse of a two-year-old girl at the daycare. A special police team was formed to collect and scrutinize hundreds of hours of footage from the daycare’s security cameras, documenting numerous instances of abuse.
Police identified 589 incidents of abuse affecting 14 infants. The parents of the abused children have been notified and called in to file complaints.
A hearing is scheduled for Monday to extend the suspects' custody, with formal charges to be filed in the coming days. The indictment will include charges of attacking helpless minors and other related offenses.
Chief Inspector Yossi Mizrahi, leading the investigative team, highlighted the gravity and frequency of the abuse. “The suspects’ unusual and violent behavior toward the infants was clear and repeated time after time across hundreds of incidents that were difficult to watch,” he said.
While the police did not detail the specific nature of the abuse, one parent shared a particularly disturbing incident with Kan News. According to the parent, one teacher incited children to hit and kick another child while she stood by and watched.
Another parent mentioned that their daughter had repeatedly come home with bruises, initially not suspecting the teachers until surveillance footage confirmed the abuse.
This case adds to a growing number of high-profile incidents in Israel involving daycare staff abusing children.
In the past month, four teachers from another Kiryat Gat daycare were arrested on 166 charges of abusing 23 children. In 2021, Carmel Mauda, the head of a daycare in Rosh Ha’ayin, was sentenced to 9.5 years in prison after graphic footage of abuse sparked public outrage and led to large protests.