Man suspected of killing baby daughter released from hospital, to be questioned
Hod Hasharon resident's wife remains in serious but stable condition; 3-year-old daughter still hooked up to respirator and sedated
An Israeli man suspected of stabbing his baby daughter to death was released from the hospital Saturday and handed over to police for questioning.
The suspect, a 33-year-old resident of Hod Hasharon, also seriously injured his wife and 3-year-old daughter in the stabbing before trying to kill himself.
The mother was in serious but stable condition at Beilinson Hospital and no longer needed a respirator.
The 3-year-old girl remained in serious condition at Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba and was still sedated and hooked up to a respirator.
The father had also been hospitalized at Meir Hospital with light injuries.
Hebrew media reported Friday that the man told police: “I wanted to kill them.”
According to the Haaretz daily, the family lived in a residential unit next to the woman’s parents’ home. They were not home at the time of the attack but the woman’s sister was, and she called the police when she heard screams.
Hod Hasharon’s mayor said the family was well-known in the city and the incident was a shock for everyone.
Last October, the Welfare Ministry issued a report on intimate partner violence in 2018 that found a surge in the number of reported cases of domestic abuse.
According to the ministry, the number of women calling its abuse hotline rose 160 percent between 2014 and 2018, and more than 6,000 victims of domestic violence received treatment last year. In 2018, 1,219 women called the hotline to report spousal abuse.