^{Israel! 2025} Haredi yeshiva student convicted of carrying out tasks for Iranian agent, Israel Police arrest suspect after 14 kg of hashish and crystal meth uncovered in car, Two wounded one seriously in terror stabbing at hotel west of Jerusalem, Three killed in separate criminal shootings across country, Police use underage operative to expose Eilat businesses for selling alcohol to minors, Man admits to drowning 5-year-old son in 1974 two years before murdering his wife, Woman shot dead in her home as Arab sector homicides continue to surge, Reporter arrested for post cheering killings of IDF troops is released to house arrest, Chaim Rotter named as haredi suspect of systematic sexual assault rape

Elimelech Stern, 22, of Beit Shemesh, hung fliers with bloodied palm prints and anti-war texts on behalf of handler, but refused request to ignite a brushfire in Jerusalem

The Jerusalem District Court on Sunday convicted Elimelech Stern, a 22-year-old Haredi yeshiva student from Beit Shemesh, of spying on behalf of Iran.

He was found guilty of contact with a foreign agent and conspiring to make threats after he carried out several missions for an Iranian intelligence agent in exchange for money last year.

Stern is one of dozens of Israeli citizens who have been arrested and charged with spying for the Islamic Republic. He is one of the first to be convicted since most espionage cases are still working their way through the legal system.

During a series of Shin Bet interrogations following his arrest, Stern confessed to being in contact with his operator, who went by the alias Anna Elena, over Telegram. Later in court, he insisted that he had been unaware he was communicating with a foreign actor.

According to the conviction handed down by Judge Hannah Miriam Lump, Stern recruited two other Israeli citizens to help him carry out the tasks assigned to him by his handler.

At the request of the agent, Stern enlisted one of his accomplices in printing and hanging fliers of bloodied palm prints with the English phrase: “It will be written in history that children were killed, let’s stand on the right side of history.” The assistant took pictures of himself hanging the fliers in Tel Aviv in early June 2024 and sent the photo evidence to Stern, who then forwarded it to the agent.

Stern also planned in June 2024 to leave a threatening package on the doorstep of Ronen Shaul, Israel’s representative in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but never followed through.

The Iranian agent requested that he send a severed animal’s head alongside a flower bouquet to Shaul. When he was unable to find an animal’s head, the agent changed course and asked him to send a severed doll’s head alongside a knife. Fearing legal repercussions, Stern eventually declined to send the package entirely.

That month, after a period of debate, he also refused to ignite a brushfire in Jerusalem at the agent’s behest.

Stern’s case is one of dozens to come to light over the past two years in which Iranian agents have successfully recruited Israelis into espionage schemes via social media, specifically the Telegram messaging app. Most of the accused spies start out with innocuous tasks that gradually grow into more serious offenses, like intelligence gathering and assassination plots.

The growing number of Iranian agents has even prompted Israel to open up a new wing for them in Haifa’s Damon prison.

The unlikely operatives, from diverse walks of life, are usually ordinary civilians contacted by Iranian intelligence officers online. The effort appears to be part of a mass recruitment scheme by Tehran to gather intelligence on Israel’s alleged nuclear and military sites, as well as key Israeli figures such as defense officials and top scientists.

Given Stern’s relatively young age when committing the offenses, he will be reviewed for probation before sentencing at the request of his attorney.

Police stopped the vehicle and uncovered the substances. The car was holding 13 kilograms of hashish and approximately half a kilogram of crystal meth.

A 21-year-old Bedouin man was arrested on suspicion of holding 14 kilograms of crystal meth and hashish, which were intended for distribution throughout the Coastal District, an Israel Police spokesperson confirmed last week.

The drugs were seized in a vehicle at the entrance to the city of Haifa.

Police stopped the vehicle and uncovered the substances. The car was holding 13 kilograms of hashish and approximately half a kilogram of crystal meth.

Stopping drugs reaching Israel’s cities

Hashish is a cannabis concentrate made from the resin of the plant and contains high levels of THC. Crystal meth is the street name for Methamphetamine.

The suspect was held at the Haifa police station after the court agreed to detain him until September 9.

Suspect, a 42-year-old man from East Jerusalem who worked at Kibbutz Tzuba hotel, is subdued by off-duty cop; man, 50, is injured seriously, 23-year-old man moderately

A Palestinian man stabbed and wounded two people in a suspected terror attack at a hotel in Kibbutz Tzuba near Jerusalem on Friday, police and medics said.

The wounded are a 50-year-old man, seriously injured, and a 23-year-old man, moderately injured. Both were conscious and suffering from stab wounds, the hospital said.

The assailant was an employee of the hotel, with a history of security offenses, according to the police. He is from Shuafat in East Jerusalem.

Three other people have been arrested, and are suspected of involvement in the incident, the police said.

Hamas praised the incident as a “heroic stabbing attack” that deals a “new blow to the occupation’s security apparatus.” However, the terror group did not take responsibility for the stabbing.

Channel 12 reported, citing eyewitnesses, that the attacker took a knife from the hotel kitchen and shouted “Allahu akbar” before perpetrating the attack.

Ynet reported, also citing witnesses, that he shouted he wanted to die.

The assailant was subdued and arrested by an off-duty police investigator staying at the hotel.

The officer who arrested the attacker had been at a family event at the hotel, where he noticed a mass of people fleeing the building. After heading in the direction from which the civilians fled, he spotted the terrorist and confronted him.

“I overpowered the terrorist with my hands rather than gunfire to reduce the danger to the civilians at the scene,” the officer said. “With the help of other brave civilians, I laid him on the floor and restrained him.”

David and Itzik Razani, who helped subdue the terrorist, told Ynet: “We tied him up with the belts of our pants.”

One of the injured stabbing victims was the officer’s cousin, according to a police statement.

Magen David Adom paramedics arrived at the scene of the stabbing to find the 23-year-old, who’d been stabbed, sitting in the hotel’s parking lot. He was taken to the hospital in moderate condition.

Paramedics later found the 50-year-old in the hotel dining room, suffering from a stab wound to the chest.

Both were taken to Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem, which said in a statement that both men are conscious.

Jerusalem District police commander Amir Arzani conducted a situational assessment at the scene of the attack.

A spike in violence left three people dead in separate incidents across Israel. Authorities are investigating links to organized crime and family disputes.

Three men were shot and killed in separate incidents across Israel on Thursday, in what police believe were criminally motivated attacks.

In the first incident, police from the Nesher station opened an investigation following reports of gunfire directed at Ala Sharuf, a man in his 50s from the village of Usfiya. Medical teams who arrived at the scene pronounced him dead.

Officers responded quickly, collecting evidence with forensic investigators and establishing checkpoints in the area in an attempt to locate suspects. Police said the background to the shooting appeared to be criminal. The circumstances are still under investigation.

Shortly afterward, Magen David Adom reported that medics and paramedics found two men in their 20s near Nachsholim on the Coastal Highway. Both victims had suffered penetrating wounds and were found without a pulse or respiration. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

The victims were later identified as Muhammad Gourban and Imad Amash, residents of Jisr al-Zarqa.

Rise in arab community homicides sparks concern amid crime wave

According to the Abraham Initiatives, 176 people have been murdered in the Arab community since the start of the year. This represents a 14 percent increase over the same period last year, when 154 deaths were recorded.
Earlier in the day, a woman in her 20s was found dead in an open area in the Bedouin diaspora near Rahat. Police forces from the Rahat station arrived quickly and launched an investigation. Police suspect the killing may be linked to a family dispute.

A preliminary police inquiry revealed that the victim’s sister had contacted authorities earlier to warn that someone intended to kill her and her sister. The two women had left their home, reportedly on their way to a mourning visit, while a patrol car was already en route.

A minute later, a second emergency call was received reporting a shooting, and a masked man was seen fleeing the scene on foot. Police arrived shortly thereafter and found the victim’s body. Officers arrested several of the woman’s brothers on suspicion of involvement in the killing.

According to the statement, four businesses sold alcohol to a minor who was working with the Southern District Police in Eilat under their Youth Division.

Four Eilat businesses were exposed for selling alcohol to minors in an undercover operation that included the use of an underage operative, the Israeli Police said on Monday.

According to the statement, the four businesses sold alcohol to a minor who was working with the Southern District Police in Eilat under their Youth Division.

“During the operation, a minor was recruited as an undercover agent and supervised by the police. The agent attempted to purchase alcohol from various businesses around the city,” the statement read.

An investigation was initiated, and the individuals involved in the sales were summoned for questioning. An administrative closure order was imposed on the businesses for a period of five days.

The police also clarified in the statement that “selling or supplying alcohol to minors under the age of 18 is a criminal offense, which is accompanied by an administrative procedure that can lead to financial penalties for the business.”

Human trafficking gang uncovered in Southern Israel

Crime in Southern Israel is still a concern for the police, as several human trafficking gangs have begun transporting women through the Jordanian border for a life of prostitution in Israel, as reported by N12 in July.
According to the report, the women are promised luxury apartments in Tel Aviv, high salaries of up to NIS 65,000 per month, and a secure future – but are being met with a very different reality.

The victims are taken mainly from Eastern Europe and South America, countries upended by war and or extreme poverty. According to another report by the Assaf Association, an aid organization for refugees and asylum seekers in Israel, about 850 Ukrainian women have been forced into prostitution in Israel since the beginning of the war.

Man admits to drowning 5-year-old son in 1974, two years before murdering his wife
Asher Goldstein, 88, confesses to killing son, a cerebral palsy sufferer, tells police it was mercy killing; he later served 11 years for battering wife to death with iron bar

Police arrested an 88-year-old man for murdering his five-year-old son decades ago, after he confessed to the killing on Saturday. The suspect was previously jailed for murdering his wife.

The man is suspected of drowning his son in the sea in Eilat in 1974, law enforcement officials said. The five-year-old’s death was initially thought to be a fatal accident.

The man, a resident of Eilat who reportedly suffers from a terminal illness, was said to have confessed at the city’s police station in order to clear his conscience.

The suspect was later named by police as Asher Goldstein. He reportedly told police that the child suffered from cerebral palsy, and that he killed him out of a sense of mercy.

Police said that Goldstein’s detention had been extended by three days on the order of a judge in the Eilat Magistrate’s Court. He is set to remain in police custody until August 27.

Just two years after drowning his son, Goldstein killed his wife, Levana, with an iron bar he received from his friend, Israel Omri, in September 1974. He attempted to stage the murder of his wife as a car accident, according to a Davar newspaper report at the time.

After battering her to death with his weapon, he enlisted Omri, in return for 100,000 liras, to take her body in a car six kilometers (3.7 miles) outside of Eilat, then set fire to the vehicle with her body inside.

During the course of the investigation into her death, police began to suspect that she was not killed in a car accident, but rather murdered by her husband.

Omri’s son, Ron, later testified as a state witness that his father and Goldstein had committed the murder. Goldstein was convicted of the crime and served 11 years in jail, the Ynet news outlet reported.

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After 51 years, Eilat man confesses to murdering disabled son
Asher Goldstein, 88, confessed to drowning his five-year-old son Saar in 1974; the boy, paralyzed from the waist down, was long believed to have died in a drowning accident; Goldstein has a criminal history including the 1976 murder of his wife

Asher Goldstein, 88, has confessed to killing his five-year-old son Saar in 1974, more than 51 years after the boy was reported to have drowned at Coral Island in the Gulf of Eilat. Goldstein was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of murder.

At the time of Saar’s death, it was reported that “the father suddenly noticed his son floating in the water, pulled him out and rushed him to Yoseftal Hospital.” The boy’s death was recorded as a “drowning accident.”

Goldstein voluntarily approached police on Saturday, saying he wanted to clear his conscience. He told authorities that he killed Saar out of pity because the boy suffered from cerebral palsy.

Goldstein, who is terminally ill and suffers from diabetes, appeared handcuffed at a hearing in Eilat Magistrate’s Court on Sunday. He said he had not received his medication and experienced dizziness. The judge ordered the handcuffs removed.

Police said the confession raises questions about the victim’s final moments. “Try to imagine the last seconds of the victim’s life, cruelly ended by his own father,” a police representative said. Defense attorney Nimrod Aviram said Goldstein is elderly, hard of hearing and has no caregiver, describing the case as highly unusual.

Aviram noted that the statute of limitations for the crime expired in 1995. Police requested to extend Goldstein’s detention for nine days, but Judge Anat Greenbaum ordered him held for four more days. Greenbaum said the investigation could still be obstructed and cited Goldstein’s prior conviction for murdering his wife Levana in 1976.

Two years after killing Saar, Goldstein murdered his wife Levana. Her burned body was found in a car on the Arava Road. Initially suspected to be a traffic accident, police later determined that Goldstein staged her death. Israel Omri, an accomplice, was also convicted. Both received life sentences, though Goldstein ultimately served 16 years, released after 11. Omri’s son testified against his father.

Goldstein previously claimed that Levana’s death was accidental, resulting from a dispute in which she fell and hit her head.

Family members described the horror. Levana’s mother said, “I don’t understand how this could happen. Neighbors heard her cries and choking and no one called the police.” Levana’s sister, a nurse, said she identified her sister’s body at Abu Kabir.

Goldstein, a former contractor, faced additional legal troubles after serving his sentence for his wife’s murder. In 2020, he was convicted of assault and threats against a former partner. He reportedly told the court, “I served life in prison, I have no problem serving another life sentence.” He received six months suspended imprisonment.

The victim, identified as Sherihan Mishleb by Israeli media, was a divorced mother of three. The motive was “likely criminal,” police stated.

A 35-year-old woman was found shot dead overnight in her home in the northern Arab town of Abu Snan, Israel Police said Tuesday as a wave of Arab sector homicides continued.

The victim, identified as Sherihan Mishleb by Israeli media, was a divorced mother of three. Her children were not at home at the time of her death.

The motive was “likely criminal,” police stated. Mishleb’s body was reportedly discovered by her brother, who alerted authorities. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

Mishleb’s relatives have been taken for questioning

According to reports, eight of Mishleb’s relatives have been detained for questioning, including her ex-husband.

According to the Abraham Initiatives, a non-profit organization that promotes Arab integration into Israeli society, the murder was the 149th violent death in the Arab community this year.

The spike is a continuation of the Arab sector’s 230 murders in 2024. In 2023, a record number of 244 Israeli-Arabs were murdered, more than double the 120 homicides in 2022.

The surge in violence is attributed to organized crime groups fighting turf battles and trying to eliminate rivals. Arab criminal organizations have been involved in extortion, money laundering, and trafficking in weapons, drugs and women.

Critics argue the crime wave has worsened since Itamar Ben-Gvir became National Security Minister in 2022.

Israel Frey, a far-left Haredi journalist who was arrested after rejoicing over the deaths of five IDF soldiers, was released to house arrest earlier today.

He will remain in house arrest until Friday, police say.

Frey was detained last week and in a rare move, transferred to a security prison at the behest of Israel Prison Service chief Kobi Yaakobi.

“At the direction of the prosecution, the police requested today to transfer the suspect to complete house arrest with additional restrictions,” police say. It is unclear what these restrictions are.

Yaakobi’s decision to define Frey as a security prisoner had received backing from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Frey was investigated and detained last week over his tweet saying “the world is a better place” after five soldiers were fatally hit by roadside bombs in Gaza.

“The world is a better place this morning, without five young men who partook in one of the most brutal crimes against humanity,” Frey had tweeted about the slain soldiers, four of whom served in the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion.

“Unfortunately, for the boy in Gaza now being operated on without anesthesia, the girl starving to death and the family huddling in a tent under bombardment — this is not enough,” he continued. “This is a call to every Israeli mother: Do not be the next to receive your son in a coffin as a war criminal. Refuse.”

The head of the Shomrim patrol group in Bnei Brak, several testimonials were publicized against him.

The head of the Shomrim community security patrol in Bnei Brak, Chaim Rotter, 36, was named on Thursday as the suspect in dozens of acts of sexual assault and rape of adults and minors over the last decade or so, upending the ultra-Orthodox (haredi) community and the country at large.

Since the announcement of his arrest broke on Wednesday, dozens of testimonies were publicized in the media, further substantiating the horrors that dozens allegedly experienced at his hands.

The Israel Police put out a public call on Thursday for potential victims or anyone who has knowledge of the matter to call or message via WhatsApp the number 050-506-5976, or to come to the Ramat Gan police station.

Cases on Rotter are ‘tip of iceberg’

Police currently estimate that the open cases against him are “the tip of the iceberg.”

Rotter flew out of the country around two weeks ago and arrived back late on Tuesday night. He was arrested directly upon his arrival in Israel, and his detention was extended until Thursday.

So far, there are six open cases spanning 15 years against Rotter, who, allegedly, consistently used his position of power as a “local sheriff” to win the admiration and then take advantage of both minors and adults. All the complainants are over the age of 12.

The complaint that launched the investigation was filed three weeks ago, and more came in while he was overseas, but a complaint was already filed against him about a decade ago. That investigation was closed.

Around the time that the recent complaint was filed, hints began to crop up on social media. It was also around the time when a docu-series by KAN told the story of Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, the former head of the ZAKA rescue and recovery organization.

In 2021, a Haaretz expose detailed a series of sexual assault and rape allegations against him, committed against men, women, and children over decades. About a month later, he attempted to take his own life and eventually passed away in June 2022.

In a rare announcement, Shomrim confirmed that the allegations are regarding a senior figure in the organization and expressed deep shame. Rotter allegedly had close ties with local police due to his position.

During a hearing on Wednesday at the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court to extend his detention, one of the victims called out from the crowd: “He is a devil and evil; he raped me.”

Attorney Yossi Roterman, who is representing some of the victims, told KAN that most were minors when the attacks took place and that they include women. He mentioned a victim who spoke to him on Thursday and was hesitant to go public “because I won’t be able to survive in my community if I do.”

Roterman said, “Rotter is a man in a massive position of power with henchmen of his own who patrol the streets. We are talking about extremely sensitive incidents and a consistent pattern of brutish and bullying behavior toward victims who are afraid to come forward.”

The statute of limitations on sexual assault of minors currently stands at 10-15 years from the attack, depending on its severity.

On Monday, the Justice Ministry blocked a bill proposal to have the time limitation canceled in attacks against minors and extreme attacks. It proposed instead that the time limit simply be extended.