From the Liveblog of
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Hundreds gather in Petah Tikva to protest after murder of pizzeria worker, demand more security
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleRossella Tercatin is The Times of Israel's archaeology and religions reporter.
Hundreds gather outside the Pizza Hut branch in the Kfar Ganim neighborhood of Petah Tikva, where 21-year-old Yemanu Binyamin Zelka was murdered overnight Tuesday-Wednesday, Independence Day.
“Ben-Gvir, wake up,” participants can be heard chanting in footage aired on Ynet, referring to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Earlier today, seven minors ages 13 to 17 were arrested in connection with the killing. The group allegedly decided to take revenge on Zelka, shift manager at the branch, after he asked them to stop spraying party foam in the restaurant.
“It is utterly shocking how easily his blood was shed,” National Unity MK Pnina Tamano-Shata says at the protest, according to Haaretz. “This is a call for awakening. Blood is being spilled in the streets for no reason. This shows that something is breaking down in our society.”
“There’s another thing that cannot be ignored: it took the police three days to arrest the suspects, when every child in Petah Tikva knew their names,” she adds. “The videos and the names were going around, and the police did nothing.”
Many people are also leaving candles and messages of solidarity outside the pizzeria.
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