The central suspect in the fatal stabbing of 21-year-old Yemanu Zelka on Independence Day is charged in Lod District Court, alongside 15 other minors suspected of involvement in the murder.
The 15-year-old suspected of stabbing Zelka outside the Pizza Hut where he worked in Petah Tikva is charged with negligent murder. The 15 other defendants are charged with causing serious bodily harm with intent. Zelka was stabbed to death after he had asked the teens not to use party spray in the restaurant.
According to the indictment, the central suspect hit a critical vein when stabbing the young man, causing significant blood loss that led him to die from his wounds a day later.
Ahead of the indictment, police had recommended the harsher charge of aggravated murder, which would carry a life sentence. The indictment likewise does not meet family’s insistence that murder charges be leveled against every suspect involved.
Earlier today, Geteso, the older brother of the deceased, said that “everyone who took part in his ambush is a murderer.”
Police arrested a total of 19 people in connection with Zelka’s killing. Three were not indicted.
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From the Liveblog of
Sunday, May 10, 2026
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