A 21-year-old man from Ramat Gan reportedly confessed to the murder of his girlfriend after being arrested on Saturday night.The suspect was taken by police to the Tel Aviv Magistrate Court on Sunday afternoon, where he began to panic and attempted to launch himself at the police officers. His arrest was extended.The man allegedly murdered his 22-year-old girlfriend, Maya Vishniyak, from Oranit in the Samaria region, as well as lightly injuring his 50-year-old mother. His girlfriend's body was found with clear signs of strangulation. His mother, who was in the same apartment, was conscious, with stab marks on her hands and strangulation marks around her throat. She was evacuated for treatment to the nearest hospital by Magen David Adom.The mother was reportedly not in the apartment when her son murdered his girlfriend during an argument. When she got home, he told her, "Mom, come look" and brought her to his room.When she saw the body, he strangled her from behind in a fit of rage. She reportedly begged for her life, but her son then proceeded to stab her hand and continue to strangle her. When she kept asking him to stop, he eventually let go.The mother immediately called the police as the suspect ran away. He was caught by police near the crime scene. Forensic teams immediately came to inspect the scene.The suspect was allegedly very confused throughout his entire investigation with the police on Sunday, but confessed nonetheless to the murder. He told them that the voices in his head told him to do it. He has a history of mental illness, Ynet reports.During the initial investigation on Saturday, he was placed in a cage after going into a tantrum, out of fear of hurting those surrounding him."Ramat Gan, as a city run and managed by women, will not tolerate any discrimination, exclusion or violence against women," said Mayor Carmel Shama Cohen, according to Ynet."The wave of terror against women continues in the shadow of the coronavirus crisis," said Hagit Peer, chairwoman of the Movement of Working and Volunteering Women (Naamat). "Since the beginning of the year, eight women and a 10-month-old baby were murdered in acts of domestic violence, six of which were since the coronavirus crisis broke out. Since late April alone, there has been a 16% increase in the number of police cases opened due to domestic violence, the vast majority of which are directed towards women."
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The state comptroller's report released a couple of weeks ago revealed that one in every four women on average in Israel experiences sexual abuse.Israel has seen a steep rise in acts of domestic violence, as women who are in abusive relationships are trapped amid coronavirus restrictions with those who hurt them.A total of 54 local council leaders appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, calling on him to establish a national task force to address violence against women.
Gezer Regional Council leader Rotem Yadlin warned that "the coronavirus crisis is slowly receding but the crisis of violence in the family will only increase.
"Five women were murdered since the crisis started and we are here to stop the next murder," Yadlin said.
She added that on Sunday, "a day in which government offices are being made from thin air, it would have been worthwhile to create a ministry to combat violence against women."
The appeal included the following proposals: to finance plans to end violence against women; to re-finance educational programs to treat violent men; to offer means to locate victims of violence; and to improve cooperation between police and welfare departments in local councils.
