Haredi Riots Over Baby Autopsies in Jerusalem Daycare

Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox extremists clashed with police in⁣ Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh on Monday night as⁣ they protested authorities’ plans to perform autopsies ‌on the bodies of two babies ⁤who died in an overcrowded, unlicensed ‌daycare center in​ the capital.

Police and the State Prosecutor’s office‍ are pushing for the autopsies in order to uncover the exact cause of death for 4-month old leah Goloventzitz and 6-month-old⁢ Aharon Katz, whose bodies were found on Monday morning, along with 53 other‌ babies and ⁤toddlers with varying degrees of injuries at the ⁢Haredi daycare center.

The autopsies would help police investigators confirm their working ​theory that the ‍two babies died of ‌heat exhaustion and dehydration linked to a faulty heating system in the illegal daycare,‍ which operated out of several adjacent apartments on Ha’Mem Gimel street in Jerusalem’s Haredi-majority Romema neighborhood.

The parents of the two deceased babies oppose the operations, as Orthodox Jews⁣ consider any tampering with a dead body a desecration, and the matter was brought before the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court. The judge ruled in favor of Israeli authorities on ⁢Thursday evening, but the babies’ parents, ⁤along with the ultra-Orthodox Zaka emergency service, said they ​planned to appeal the decision to⁢ the ⁢Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Israel⁣ Police said⁢ in a statement that ⁤officers responded to protests at⁢ the Shmuel ⁣Hanavi junction in​ Jerusalem, where protestors were causing disruptions, ⁤blocking roads, burning garbage bins, damaging vehicles and ⁤disrupting the lives of citizens. Police⁢ said the protesters also⁤ hampered the movement of public buses ⁤and damaged cars.

“After police declared the protest‍ illegal,⁢ officers began dispersing the rioters who clashed‌ with police,” the statement said, adding that the‍ rioting was “endangering lives and could⁤ end with a serious tragedy.”

At least two infants were found⁢ dead and dozens of children hospitalized with respiratory distress ​after ​a mass ​incident at a daycare in⁢ the Tel​ Aviv suburb of ​Yavne on January 20, 2026. Rescue services evacuated 53 children‍ from ‍the daycare, all exhibiting varying symptoms.

The ⁢exact number ⁤of infants at the daycare was initially unknown ⁣to first responders. A United ​Hatzalah member reported discovering children “in closets, ⁢in strollers, everywhere, hidden on top of one another with blankets” while administering CPR to the two infants who later died.

The National ⁤Council for the Child has⁢ called for⁤ an immediate investigation by Israel Police and ⁢the Education Ministry,focusing⁣ on both negligence and the daycare’s operating license.