Father stabs 1-year-old son to death in Israel

A one-year-old baby boy was stabbed to death by his father this morning in the city of Hod Hasharon, in what has been termed a domestic attack.

The boy was evacuated by Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service, to nearby Meir Hospital, in a critical condition, before succumbing to his wounds.

A three-year-old girl and her 36-year-old mother were also seriously injured, while the perpetrator of the attack, a 37-year-old man and father to the two children, was lightly injured.

The 36-year-old woman is reportedly fighting for her life. While, local outlet, Kan News said the three-year-old girl is in critical condition in a paediatric intensive care unit.

According to the Jerusalem Post, initial investigations suggest that the father stabbed his son, daughter and wife, before attempting suicide in the family home. The wife then escaped, with her daughter and alerted neighbours, who then contacted the emergency services.

The suspect later confessed to the police, saying “I wanted to kill them”.

A paramedic who attended the scene said: “We arrived at the scene with large forces along with the police. In the yard, the woman lay conscious and suffering from injuries to her body.”

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Adding that, “the MDA paramedic began life-saving treatment that included dressing and bleeding and I continued into the apartment. A 3-year-old girl was brought to me, I performed an initial examination and provided primary care that included stopping life-threatening bleeding.”

Hod Hasharon’s Mayor Amir Kochavi shared his condolences, adding that “we will do everything to help the family at this difficult time. This is a family of long-standing in the city, known and loved. This event is a shock to everyone.”

According to Haaretz, the family lived next to the woman’s parent’s home, but they were not home at the time of the attack. The woman’s sister was, and said she called the police as soon as she heard screams.

The woman’s cousin said they were in totally shock, and that the attack was a complete surprise. She said the family were “a warm, loving family, together at events travelling, having fun”, adding that “nothing prepared us”.

The attack comes only months after the Welfare Ministry issued a study on domestic violence between partners in October, reporting a surge in cases since 2018.

According to the Israeli Welfare Ministry, the number of women calling its abuse hotline rose by 160 per cent between 2014 and 2018.

While the Middle East Eye reported that in the past 14 years more than 160 woman have been murdered by their partners, with police opening an average of 60 domestic violence cases per day.