The police announced Monday that the body of 16-year-old Yara Ayoub had been found in the village of Jish in Upper Galilee, after she had been missing for three days. Police suspect she was murdered.
A 28-year-old male resident of Jish, a predominantly Christian town, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of involvement in the case and was remanded in custody through Tuesday. A 53-year-old man was also arrested in connection with the case on Monday evening
Police near the site where Yara Ayoub's body was found, Upper Galilee, November 25, 2018. Credit:Gil Eliyahu
In Tel Aviv, Silvana Tsegai's body displayed signs of suffering a violent death.
Police launched a manhunt for the former domestic partner of the girl’s mother, noting that her mother was apparently not home at the time of the killing and only returned several hours later.
The suspect has been identified as Tasafbaran Tsefsion, 30, a Tel Aviv resident employed at a coffee shop in Ramat Gan.
Tasafbaran Tsefsion
According to the suspect's father, Taklab, the suspect and the victim's mother "broke up three months ago," adding that his son was angry at the mother, but he didn't believe he could hurt the child.
“All possible directions are being examined at present, including domestic violence,” said Chief Superintendent Asaf Almog, of the police investigation and intelligence division.
Neighbors and friends of the former couple said that a violent argument erupted last week between the two.
For his part, Uri Shertzky, a paramedic dispatched to the home in Tel Aviv's Hativka neighborhood, said the girl was not breathing and had no pulse when he arrived and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police investigate the crime scene in south Tel Aviv, November 25, 2018. Credit : Moti MilrodAs news of the killing spread, relatives of the girl, the principal of the school she attended and foreign migrants living in the vicinity arrived at her home. Police are being assisted in their investigation by members of the Eritrean community who are serving as translators.
Several long-time neighborhood residents expressed dissatisfaction with the way the police handle problems in Hatikva. “Such a thing could happen anywhere, but the police have abandoned the neighborhood,” said one resident, who suggested that a special police unit be created to patrol the area.
“There is a lot of violence here. Last month, there was a targeted killing. There were stabbings last week,” he added.
The Israel Women’s Network noted that the killing in Tel Aviv on Monday came shortly after Ayoub's body was found in the northern part of Israel. Defining the incidents as “an emergency situation that can’t be accepted,” the civil society NGO called on the government to mobilize to protect women in the country.
In its response to the two deaths, the Israel National Council for the Child said: “Protecting children in a family setting and in general needs to be a top national priority. We call on the government to act to devote resources for early detection of distress and to address it, to provide immediate protection in situations of danger, for real-time warning in cases of risk and coordination of information among the authorities – social welfare, health, education and law enforcement.”