Man suspected of killing wife with axe in Petah Tikva, before taking his own life

Police are investigating a suspected murder-suicide in Petah Tikva after a man allegedly killed his 43-year-old wife with an axe before apparently taking his own life, police and medics said.

The couple’s four children witnessed the suspected attack, according to Channel 12, which reported that the couple’s youngest daughter found her mother lifeless in the living room and called for help.

The woman’s husband was later found dead on a nearby street after police launched a search for him, according to Walla.

The Magen David Adom rescue service said it received a report of a woman found in an apartment in Petah Tikva with signs of severe injuries. Medics and paramedics who arrived shortly afterward pronounced her dead at the scene.

ZAKA, a volunteer emergency response organization, said it received a report late Sunday of a woman who had been murdered in her apartment on Sprinzak Street in Petah Tikva.

The organization said that while its volunteers were working at the scene, another report was received about a man found dead nearby, on Assaf Simhoni Street, apparently the suspect involved in the murder.

In an initial statement, police said officers from the Petah Tikva station in the Central District arrived at the scene, opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident and were carrying out various investigative measures to locate those involved.

“The background and circumstances of the incident are under investigation,” police said.

According to figures from the Israel Women’s Network cited, 16 women have been killed in gender-based murders since the beginning of 2026, excluding the Petah Tikva case.