Haredi protestors take body of deceased baby from ambulance during funeral

The baby drowned to death in the southern city of Ashdod earlier this week.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

APRIL 5, 2018 17:21

Updated: APRIL 5, 2018 18:15

Haredis protest the autopsy of a baby who drowned in Ashdod (photo credit: EHUD AMITON/TPS) — Haredis protest the autopsy of a baby who drowned in Ashdod

(photo credit: EHUD AMITON/TPS)

Ultra-Orthodox Jews forcibly removed the body of a deceased one-month old baby from an ambulance during a funeral procession on Thursday, ZAKA confirmed.

Haredi protestors took the baby's body, blessed it, and then returned it, ZAKA Jerusalem Commander Benzi Oering confirmed to The Jerusalem Post.

The baby drowned in a jacuzzi while with his parents earlier this week in the southern city of Ashdod. Magen David Adom paramedics were called to the scene and performed CPR while transferring the infant to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Ashkelon Magistrate Court ruled that an autopsy would be performed on the baby to determine whether his drowning was accidental or was premeditated in some way. The parents objected to this and were arrested and remain under remand until Sunday.

The case was then brought to the High Court of Justice, which upheld the Ashkelon court's ruling.

Small protests were held immediately after the ruling was announced, and a handful of people were arrested.