Israeli Daycare Workers Indicted for Abuse as Parents Demand Regulatory Overhaul

Multiple childcare workers in Israel have been indicted for repeated abuse of infants and toddlers, with one case involving a fractured arm, triggering nationwide protests and calls for mandatory government regulation of private daycare facilities. The incidents have exposed significant gaps in oversight of the private childcare sector, where thousands of young children remain vulnerable to inadequate safeguards and enforcement mechanisms.

The Indictments

In Tel Aviv, three workers at separate facilities face serious charges. At Gan Hiyuchim, assistant Ortal Levi, 39, and facility owner Natalie Shahar, 42, were indicted on allegations of repeatedly assaulting children ages six months to eighteen months. A third assistant, Ronit Shira Ariel, 63, of Bat Yam, was separately charged in magistrate court. The charges describe a pattern of violent conduct, including throwing children onto floors, forcefully pulling limbs, pinching, striking, and restricting breathing with blankets.

The most severe documented incident occurred on December 19, 2024, when Levi allegedly twisted a toddler's arm during a diaper change with such force that the child sustained a spiral fracture of the humerus. The child received no medical attention from staff despite hours of visible distress—refusing to use the injured arm, crying extensively, and avoiding participation in activities. Medical staff at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv later diagnosed the fracture and required sedation and hospitalization for repositioning and casting. Prosecutors noted that children under the alleged abusers' care exhibited behavioral changes, sleep and eating disturbances, and weight loss.

In a separate case at Baby Love daycare in Rosh Ha'ayin, caregiver Carmel Mauda, 25, was arrested following release of hidden camera footage documenting abuse of 11 children aged three months to three years. She faces charges of covering children with blankets and pinning them down, forcing toddlers to stand against walls for extended periods, lifting and throwing children by their arms, shaking infants, and in one instance, force-feeding a child regurgitated food. When confronted with video evidence, Mauda reportedly told investigators "I am a monster" and "I was Satan here," after initially denying the allegations. The daycare facility was destroyed in a fire on Saturday, believed to be arson, though Mauda was not present at the time.

Public Outcry and Demands for Reform

The cases have ignited a national crisis of confidence in private childcare. Thousands of parents and supporters protested across approximately 25 locations nationwide, blocking roads in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv while carrying signs reading "Mother, Father, save me" and "Don't abandon our children." Demonstrators chanted demands for state accountability, with placards calling for "justice for the children."

Parents are calling for fundamental structural changes: transferring private daycare facilities from private regulation to jurisdiction under the Education Ministry, strengthening and enforcing oversight laws, and expanding public childcare options. Currently, subsidized public preschool is available only from age three, leaving infants and younger toddlers in private facilities with minimal government supervision. Critics argue that fragmented oversight, weak enforcement, and the ability of private operators to avoid accountability have created dangerous conditions for vulnerable young children.