Horror struck the small town of Migdal Saturday afternoon when a man allegedly stabbed his 23-year-old wife Dor Sela, their two infant children, Yosef and Benyamin, and his neighbor's 8-year-old son Nahman to death. The man is also suspected in the stabbing neighbor's other 11-year-old son Natan, moderately injuring him.
Large police forces were called to the apartment, and the man was arrested a short while later in a grove near the house. A young man who chased after him is credited for his arrest.
The murder was reported to emergency services at 2:48pm. Paramedics found the bodies of the 23-year-old mother and her two children, aged one and two. They were declared dead at the scene. A short while later the body of another child was found – the 8-year-old son of a neighboring family.
Police presume that, while the father was making his escape, he stabbed the 11-year-old brother of the 8-year-old he had murdered. The child, who survived by escaping out of a window and pretending to be dead, was evacuated by helicopter to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa in critical medical condition, where he was stabilized. Chief of the Trauma Division, Dr. Hany Bahouth, said that the child, who suffered stab wounds in the neck and face, had been transferred for surgery and is currently stable.
Magen David Adom paramedics Dudu Fahima and Nadine Jubran who arrived at the scene, said "When we arrived to the apartment, the sight was horrifying. A young woman, two infants and a child were unconscious with no signs of life, covered in multiple lacerations and contusions. We unfortunately had to declare them dead at the scene. An 11 year old was also found outside the house, having multiple serious stab wounds. He was treated and stabilized in critical medical condition."
Migdal, a small town with only about 1,200 residents, was swept up in an emotional storm after the incident. Most of the residents are religious, and news of the murders was spread by word of mouth. Many arrived at the scene in shock, and nearby residents were heard loudly crying and angrily cursing the father, who is in his thirties.
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The child being treated at Rambam hospital (Photo: Elad Gershgoren)
(צילום: אלעד גרשגורן)
A relative of the father who tried to enter the scene was removed, saying in shock, "This is madness. It can't be anything else." He then added that the suspect and his deceased wife were newly religious and had lived outside the town for a while. "They are both from well-seated families of the town. This is too painful to bear."
First published: 18:52, 01.28.17