Police launch operation to combat youth violence after recent deadly stabbings

By Charlie Summers

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28 April 2026, 11:31 am

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People gather outside a Pizza Hut branch in Petah Tikva, lighting candles and placing flowers in memory of employee Yemanu Binyamin Zelka, who was stabbed and later died of his wounds on the eve of Independence Day, April 27, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Police announce the launch of a nationwide operation to combat juvenile delinquency and violence by youth gangs in the wake of a series of lethal stabbings involving minors last week.

Police chief Danny Levy announced the operation following a situation assessment held on the matter this morning.

Increased police forces will begin operating in recreational areas and other public places, particularly in the Tel Aviv District. Law enforcement will also take proactive steps against gangs and other instigators, police say.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees police, says in a separate statement that the operation will focus specifically on south Tel Aviv and Petah Tikva, the latter being the site of a lethal stabbing last week on Independence Day eve.

Hundreds of officers in the National Guard, a controversial policing force spearheaded by Ben Gvir, will reinforce local police in the operation. The initiative will be coordinated with police detectives in the Investigations and Intelligence Division.