{"id":83618,"date":"2026-04-25T22:54:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T22:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/83618\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T22:54:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T22:54:14","slug":"hundreds-protest-police-inaction-after-pizzeria-murder-this-is-a-wake-up-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/83618\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds protest police inaction after pizzeria murder: ‘This is a wake-up call’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hours after seven teenagers<\/a> were arrested Saturday in connection with the stabbing death of a restaurant employee on Independence Day, hundreds gathered outside the eatery demanding more police action.<\/p>\n

Local protesters were joined by a number of opposition politicians, who blamed National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and the Israel Police for inaction on tackling rampant crime and leaving residents living in fear after the murder of 21-year-old Pizza Hut worker Yemanu Binyamin Zelka.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen Gvir, wake up,\u201d participants could be heard chanting in footage.<\/p>\n

Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz and his fellow party MK Pnina Tamano-Shata attended the rally, as did The Democrats MK Gilad Kariv.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is utterly shocking how easily his blood was shed,\u201d Tamano-Shata said at the protest, according to Haaretz. \u201cThis is a wake-up call. Blood is being spilled in the streets for no reason. This shows that something is breaking down in our society.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s another thing that cannot be ignored: it took the police three days to arrest the suspects, when every child in Petah Tikva knew their names,\u201d added Tamano-Shata, who, like Zelka, is a member of the Israeli-Ethiopian community. \u201cThe videos and the names were going around, and the police did nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Channel 12 news aired on Saturday an image of the 15-year-old main suspect in the killing, who was caught on camera holding a knife covered in blood.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA screengrab of an image aired on Channel 12 on April 25, 2026, purporting to show a suspect holding a knife, which was allegedly used in the killing of Yemanu Binyamin Zelka in Petah Tikvah. (Channel 12)<\/p>\n

Zelka was working at the Pizza Hut restaurant in the Kfar Ganim neighborhood when he politely asked a group of youths<\/a> to stop spraying party foam in the restaurant late Tuesday night, police said.<\/p>\n

The group of teenagers threatened Zelka and waited outside the restaurant for him to finish his shift, then one of them stabbed him to death while the others beat him or stood and watched, police sources said. Zelka was hospitalized but died of his wounds on Thursday.<\/p>\n

According to Hebrew media outlets, it took police more than 36 hours to seriously investigate the killing, believing at first that it was a brawl among teenagers that had gotten out of hand.<\/p>\n

Seven minors ages 13 to 17 were arrested on Saturday in connection with the killing. The main suspect was reportedly arrested in an apartment where he was hiding in central Israel after officers broke in and then chased him down after he tried to flee.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPeople gather outside a Pizza Hut branch in Petah Tikva in memory of employee Yemanu Binyamin Zelka, who was stabbed to death there, April 25, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni\/Flash90)<\/p>\n

At the rally on Saturday, residents accused police of letting crime run rampant through Petah Tikva.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been a resident of Petah Tikva since 1985,\u201d said Avi Wassie, according to the Ynet news site. \u201cIt\u2019s a good city but it\u2019s going downhill. The police are helpless; they are too busy dealing with politics to protect residents.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Hebrew media outlets, two of the seven suspects who were arrested were released to house arrest on Saturday, while the remaining five will appear on Sunday in court for a remand hearing.<\/p>\n

The minors \u201cconducted themselves like veteran criminals\u201d since the killing early on Wednesday, having turned off their phones and stayed away from their homes to avoid getting caught, according to police sources cited by Hebrew media.<\/p>\n

The seven suspects are reportedly aged 13 to 17, some of whom are already known to police, including one suspect who hails from a crime family. Haaretz reported that some of the suspects attend the same school, and that they are all residents of Petah Tikva.<\/p>\n

Zelka\u2019s family said he was a \u201cpure, innocent child,\u201d and he was remembered as well-liked, humble and hardworking by the Petah Tikva yeshiva high school where he was a student, and the religious youth group where he was a counselor.<\/p>\n


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