Police nab another two minors suspected in Petah Tikva Independence Day killing

By Charlie Summers

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29 April 2026, 9:35 pm

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People light candles and post messages outside a Pizza Hut in Petah Tikva, central Israel, on April 24, 2026, in memory of slain worker Yemanu Binyamin Zelka, 21, who was ambushed at the end of his shift on Independence Day night by a group of teens he had asked to stop using party spray in the restaurant. A picture of Zelka is captioned with Gen. 4:10, 'Your brother's blood cries out at me from the ground.' (Roy Alima/Flash90)

Police have arrested another two minors suspected in the killing of Yemanu Zelka on Independence Day eve, bringing the number of suspects in the case to 13.

The pair, residents of Petah Tikva and Hadera, are suspected of partaking in the assault and eventual fatal stabbing of Zelka, a 21-year-old Pizza Hut employee, outside his work in Petah Tikva.

In surveillance footage of the killing, a group of youths is seen ambushing the young man and beating him before one of the assailants takes out a knife and stabs him. Some in the group keep beating him before leaving him to bleed out on the ground. He was taken to the hospital but succumbed to his wounds a day later.

Police say that one of the suspects arrested tonight helped another suspect hide from law enforcement the same night of the murder.

The pair will appear before a judge tomorrow, where police will request to extend their remand. Law enforcement’s efforts to locate additional suspects in the case are ongoing.