The women murdered in Israel in 2018

Twenty-five women have been killed in Israel in suspected cases of domestic abuse or violence directed at females since the start of 2018.

Many of these women had told the police prior to their deaths that they were concerned for their safety.

According to figures released by the Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) last month, 200,000 women in Israel are thought to be victims of domestic abuse, with around half a million children witnessing violence in their homes.

As calls continue for the police and government to take action to end the violence against women, what follows is a list, with short bios, of the women who were murdered in 2018.

Iman Ahmad Awad, 29, was found with knife wounds at her Acre home on December 11. Her husband was arrested and although police did not officially name him as a murder suspect, some Hebrew-language media have reported he was being held for her killing.

Awad had a child from a previous marriage, and had remarried only a few months prior to her murder. She was pregnant at the time of her death and had not lodged any complaints with the authorities about her husband. He denies any connection to her death.

Elizabeth Cardona, 53, was stabbed to death by her partner in Tel Aviv on March 28. According to the Ynet news site, Cardona’s daughter was fearful for her mother’s safety prior to her murder, and said that the relationship was physically abusive. She said her mother had gone to speak with a lawyer a few hours before she was murdered.

Lottie Gantz, 91, was shot dead by her son in Bat Yam on March 11. The son then killed himself. He was said to be in financial difficulties, and left a note saying that he killed his mother so she wouldn’t be alone after his suicide, Haaretz reported.

Sylvana Tsegai, 13, moved to Israel from Eritrea when she was four years old because her mother wanted her to grow up somewhere safe. Sylvana was murdered in Tel Aviv on November 26, allegedly by her mother’s partner Tesfebarhan Tesfasion, who evaded police for several days before being caught.

According to reports, Tsegai had been known to welfare authorities as a victim of domestic violence. She reportedly called police on Saturday to complain about Tesfasion being in her home.

Margarita Kazinik, 62, was killed in her apartment in Kfar Saba on April 3. Her son was suspected of hitting her with a hammer and then pouring cleaning fluids on her, Haaretz reported.

Rasmia Masalkha, 62, was killed by a relative August 1. She died after she was pushed and fell. The woman had no children and cared for her elderly mother. Retired, Masalkha had worked as a school cleaner, Haaretz reported.

Yara Ayoub, 16, was found dead in her Galilee hometown of Jish on November 26 after a three-day search.

Four people were arrested in connection with her murder, including a 28-year-old man from the village who is believed to be the last person to have seen her before she disappeared. He also faces charges of kidnapping and obstructing the investigation.

Manal al-Frizat, 40, was shot dead in the Negev town of Tel Sheva on November 21. Her brother was arrested on suspicion of murder. Her sister was killed 12 years earlier and two of her brothers are serving prison terms for the murder, Haaretz reported.

Anonymous, 60, was found dead in an apartment in Pardes Hanna on March 14. There were signs of violence to her body.

Ekaterina Sverdlov, 70, was the first woman murdered in Israel this year, on January 29. Police charged her son with her murder. According to the indictment, he hit his mother in the face with a blunt object before strangling her.

Angoach Malkmu Wasa, 36, was shot dead by her husband, a police officer, on October 14.

Her two children from a previous marriage, aged 7 and 4, as well as the couple’s two-month-old baby, were in the home at the time.

Miriam Shalom, 62, was killed by her husband at their home in Modiin on September 28. A family member told the Walla news site that Miriam had recently told her husband that she wanted to leave him.

Anat Zabari, 45, was killed by her 23-year-old son in Kiryat Ekron on February 1. The Haaretz daily reported that the son, who had emotional difficulties, stabbed her in the throat. According to eyewitness testimony, in the wake of the murder the woman’s husband shouted: “He murdered her, I have no wife and I have no child.”

Afaf al-Jarjawi, 22, was shot dead on September 25 in the Negev town of Segev Shalom. The Haaretz daily reported that her close relatives were arrested after police stopped the vehicle they were traveling in and found her wounded and unconscious. She was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead.

Aliza Safek, 51, was stabbed to death by her husband at their home in Netanya on October 11. The two were separated.

In February 2018 he was convicted of assaulting and threatening her, and received a suspended sentence.

Nora Abu Saleb, 36, was shot dead at the entrance to her home in Abu Saleb in the Negev on August 12. She had seven children. Police opened an investigation focusing on a group of men who were said to “oppose her lifestyle,” Haaretz reported.

Abu Saleb’s husband used to beat her, the daily reported, and is currently in prison serving a term for aggravated assault.

Anonymous. The body of a young woman from East Jerusalem was found alongside the body of a man in a car in the West Bank city of Hebron on August 2. According to Haaretz, it is suspected that it was a gender-based killing, but no further details are available.

Ofira Chaim, 56, was killed on July 10. Her body was found buried under a tree in the yard of her house in the town of Tel Mond, two weeks after she went missing. Her ex-husband confessed to her murder.

He was convicted in 2005 for menacing behavior toward Ofira after threatening to “break the bones” of one of her friends, as well as blocking her car and telling her that “something will happen” to her if she left, according to the Walla news site.

In 2002 he was convicted of assault and threatening behavior toward her and handed a seven-month suspended sentence as well as a fine of NIS 2,000 (approximately $550).

Anonymous, 30, was found dead from an overdose in a Tel Aviv apartment on April 18. There were signs of violence on her body, Haaretz reported.

Sifras Einlam, 36, was stabbed to death on June 10. Her husband was arrested on suspicion of her murder. According to the Ynet news site, the two were separated and he killed her, a mother of four, after waiting at her home for her to return from work. A neighbor said that he had been arrested on a number of occasions in the past, and police confirmed that Einlam had previously reported him to the authorities.

Fadia Kadis, 52, was found stabbed to death in her Jaffa home on June 7. An 18-year-old relative of Fadia’s was arrested on suspicion of murder. A second 18-year-old was also arrested.

In December 2012, Kadis’s husband Gaby, chairman of the Christian Orthodox Association in Jaffa, was killed by an assassin.

Samar Khatib, 32, from Jaffa was shot dead in her car in Rishon Lezion on May 29. Her friend, who was driving the car at the time, was critically injured in the attack.

Two days prior to her murder, the mother of three survived an attempt on her life when a passerby spotted a suspicious object under her car. Police were called and sappers defused what turned out to be a powerful explosive device, the Walla news site reported. A police official told the site she refused police protection the day before she was killed.

Zubeida Mansour, 19, was shot dead after she opened her front door to an unknown assailant in the town of Tira on May 10. According to the Ynet news site, Zubeida’s death was the latest in a series of tragedies to befall the family — Zubeida’s mother died of an illness last year, and her father died of a heart attack only a day later.

Nura Malouk, 19, was killed along with her sister, Hayat, on May 17. Their throats were cut. Nura had a one-year-old child. The women’s brother confessed to police that he had murdered his sisters, saying he was encouraged to do so by their family.

The sisters had turned to social services several times seeking help.

Officers suspect that the killings were part of a family dispute involving almost all 13 members of the household — parents, children and grandchildren.

The suspect’s lawyer said that his client was known to authorities as a drug user, and should be referred for psychiatric evaluation.

Hayat Malouk, 21, was killed along with her sister, Nura, on May 17. Their throats were cut. Hayat had a one-year-old child. The women’s brother confessed to police that he had murdered his sisters, saying he was encouraged to do so by their family.

The sisters had turned to social services several times seeking help.

Officers suspect that the killings were part of a family dispute involving almost all 13 members of the household — parents, children and grandchildren.

The suspect’s lawyer said that his client was known to authorities as a drug user, and should be referred for psychiatric evaluation.