A woman in her 30s was found dead in a burned-out apartment in the city of Rehovot early on Tuesday morning with signs of suspected violence visible on her body, in an incident being treated as suspected murder at the hands of her husband.
The incident started late on Monday night when Rehovot Fire and Rescue Services were called to the scene of a fire at a private apartment. After gaining control over the flames, the firefighters entered the building and discovered the body of the woman whose name has not yet been made public, and medics at the scene were forced to determine her death.
"It is not always possible to identify in advance a home where a woman is experiencing physical, mental, or financial violence."
Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev
Her husband, who is being treated as a suspect in the investigation, was taken to Kaplan Medical Center in serious condition, along with his three children and his 63-year-old father, who all sustained mild injuries from smoke inhalation.
An investigation into the incident was opened by the Rehovot Police Department, and it is currently being treated as a suspected murder. Police are investigating the possibility that the husband deliberately started the fire in the home while his wife, their three children, and his father were all inside the apartment.
According to a report from KAN News on Tuesday evening, stab wounds could be seen on the woman's body and neck - injuries which she sustained at the hands of the suspect, who then set fire to her room while she was in bed.
The husband also sported stab wounds on his body in addition to the burn wounds, and it is currently unclear whether the wounds are the result of an attempt to end his own life or not.
According to a police statement, no previous complaints of domestic violence had been filed by the wife against her husband, who is currently in custody while hospitalized.
Reacting to the incident via Twitter, Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev stated that "unfortunately, the new year opened with the suspected murder of a woman by her partner. Violence against women is one of my priorities as Public Security Minister.
"It is not always possible to identify in advance a home where a woman is experiencing physical, mental, or financial violence," he continued. "To our dismay, our reach is too short. But I am determined to continue turning over every stone in order to give security to women whose lives are in danger."
Femicide cases on the rise
Since the start of 2022, there has been a 110% increase in femicide cases, according to a report published by the Israel Observatory on Femicide (IOF) back in July. The first six months of 2022 saw 12 femicide cases, four of which occurred over a particularly deadly 10-day period back in June.
In the same report, statistics showed that in just three cases was the suspect known to the police from previous violent incidents, and in four cases, at least one child of the victim was present during the event.
"While we are not at the end of the year yet, and while the numbers are relatively small, every case of femicide wrecks an entire family. We must stop the violence and eradicate this frightening trend," said IOF leader Prof. Shalva Weil at the time.
Since the report was released back in July, at least one other femicide case has occurred in Israel, when 27-year-old Yelena Gerenberg was murdered by 29-year-old Jason Blaze at the start of August.