Worker burned to death by patient at health clinic

A man burned a female worker to death at a clinic in the central city of Holon Tuesday morning, before escaping the scene, police said.

The incident occurred at a Clalit HMO clinic on Kaplan Street in the working-class Tel Aviv suburb.

According to initial reports, a patient at the clinic doused the worker and the room she was in with flammable material and set a fire, burning the woman.

The victim was later named as Tova Kararo.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders.

Several other people were treated for shock, according to the Magen David Adom emergency rescue services.

Police said they launched a manhunt and a suspect was arrested and taken for questioning a short time later.

Police said the arrested man is a 78-year-old resident of Holon.

They did not provide any other details about the suspect.

The motivation for the attack was not immediately clear, but health workers in Israel often report cases of physical and verbal abuse by patients and relatives of patients.

 

Judah Ari Gross contributed to this report.