2026 Jerusalem daycare deaths

2026 Jerusalem daycare deaths
Date19 January 2026 (2026-01-19)
LocationRomema, Jerusalem, Israel
Deaths2

In January 2026, two babies were found dead in the Romema neighbourhood of Jerusalem.[1]

Hundreds of Haredi men protested against proposals to perform autopsies on the deceased.[2]

Reactions

The editorial board of The Jerusalem Post said that the deaths were not an isolated accident, but the predictable outcome of long‑term governance failures, citing a critical report by State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman in 2022.[3]

In response to the deaths, Education Minister Yoav Kisch establish an interagency task force to identify and close unlicensed daycare facilities.[4]

Meir Porush introduced a bill in the Knesset to provide free education for Israeli toddlers.[5]

References

  1. ^ Gritten, David (19 January 2026). "Two babies die in incident at unlicensed Jerusalem daycare centre". BBC News. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  2. ^ "Haredi extremists riot against autopsies of babies who died at unlicensed Jerusalem daycare". The Times of Israel. 20 January 2026. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  3. ^ "Jerusalem daycare tragedy exposes years of neglect, lawlessness, and failed oversight". The Jerusalem Post. 20 January 2026. ISSN 0792-822X. Archived from the original on 20 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  4. ^ Kadri-Ovadia, Shira; Trabelsi-Hadad, Tamar (20 January 2026). "Over 100,000 infants unsupervised: Jerusalem daycare tragedy exposes scale of unregulated childcare in Israel". Ynet. Archived from the original on 20 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  5. ^ Sokol, Sam (19 January 2026). "After Jerusalem daycare tragedy, UTJ MK submits bill for free childcare for all toddlers". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 20 January 2026.