Police arrest mother and uncle for attempted infanticide

4-month-old girl found unconscious with rope around her neck

A mother and uncle of a 4-month-old girl, both residents of the Bedouin village of Bir Hadaj in the Negev, were arrested overnight Thursday on suspicion that they attempted to murder the baby by hanging.

On Thursday night, another family member found the baby unconscious with a rope around her neck in the family home. Magen David Adom workers rushed the child to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, where her condition had improved, according to doctors.

The mother, 30, and her brother are scheduled to appear in front of the Beersheba Magistrates Court on Friday, where their detention is expected to be extended.