Killing of Yemanu Binyamin Zelka

Yemanu Binyamin Zelka was a 21-year-old Ethiopian-Israeli. He attended high school at Amit Eliraz Yeshiva in Petah Tikva and was a graduate of and counselor at Bnei Akiva. His family described him as a "pure, innocent kid". According to his coworkers, he had advanced from a delivery person to shift supervisor. == Incident ==

The incident occurred on Israeli independence day. According to local residents, several fights had already occurred in the immediate area that night, and local police did not intervene. At approximately 01:00 on 22 April 2026, Zelka asked a group of rowdy teenagers to stop spraying party foam inside the Pizza Hut where he was working. After finishing work, he left the building, and the teenagers attacked him. CCTV footage shows the teenagers encircling Zelka. After one teenager shoves him to the ground, the others hit him. When he tries to leave, they beat him with bottles and throw him against a railing. One of the teenagers stabs Zelka in the leg. Zelka was taken to Beilinson Hospital where he died the next day. He was buried at Yarkon Cemetery. == Arrests ==

Initially, the local police misinterpreted the incident as a fight and did not notify the serious crimes unit until 23 April. According to Haaretz, all of the suspects live in Petah Tikva and several are schoolmates. One is from a crime family; one is the child of an intelligence official. The case is subject to a gag order because it involves minors. == Reactions ==

Condolences were offered by Petah Tikva mayor Rami Greenberg, First Lady Michal Herzog, They chanted “Ben Gvir, wake up". The rally was attended by Benny Gantz and MK Pnina Tamano-Shata. Tamano-Shata stated that "Blood is being spilled in the streets for no reason" and that the police "did nothing" to respond to Zelka's death for three days. The Haaretz editorial board blamed Ben-Gvir for undermining the police and said that police negligence had led to "teenagers who act like criminals in every respect". Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the attack, stating that it should be punished and that the educational system should reinforce that such a crime in unacceptable. He met with Education Minister Yoav Kisch and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to discuss how to prevent violence among youth. According to The Times of Israel, Netanyahu appeared to condemn the protests as "wild incitement". The Times of Israel interpreted these statistics as indication of a crime wave. == External links ==