Three workers at a private Tel Aviv daycare were indicted on Monday over the alleged repeated assault and abuse of infants and toddlers, including an incident in which one child’s arm was fractured, the State Attorney’s Office announced.
Ortal Levi, 39, an assistant at Gan Hiyuchim, and the daycare’s owner and manager, Natalie Shahar, 42, were indicted in the Tel Aviv District Court. A separate indictment was filed in the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court against another assistant, Ronit Shira Ariel, 63, of Bat Yam.
The children at the daycare were between six months and one-and-a-half years old.
According to the indictment, Levi repeatedly assaulted children under her care from November 2024, creating what prosecutors described as an atmosphere of fear and treating the children as though they were objects.
She allegedly threw children onto the floor or mattresses, pulled them forcefully by their arms, lifted them by their clothing, pushed their heads into mattresses, pinched their cheeks, struck them, and forcibly covered their heads and faces with blankets.
Some of the children suffered injuries, sleeping and eating disturbances, weight loss, and behavioral changes during or shortly after the alleged abuse, according to the indictment.
Some toddlers suffered serious injuries leading to hospital visits
The most serious individual incident described by prosecutors occurred on December 19, 2024, after Levi took a toddler into the changing room to replace his diaper.
Levi allegedly used force and twisted the child’s right arm in a manner that prosecutors said could not be determined precisely. The child immediately stopped using the arm, began crying, and threw his head backward.
Throughout the remainder of the day, he allegedly avoided moving the arm, lay motionless for extended periods, did not participate in daycare activities, and cried for long periods. He also struggled to support himself and avoided using the arm while eating.
Despite his condition, prosecutors said Levi did not tell the child’s parents or ensure that he received medical attention.
The toddler was later taken to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, where he was diagnosed with a spiral fracture of the humerus, the bone in the upper arm. He was sedated while the fracture was repositioned, his arm was placed in a cast, and he was hospitalized for two days for observation.
Daycare workers charged with assaulting, injuring children
Levi is charged with assaulting a minor and causing serious injury while responsible for the child, multiple counts of assaulting a minor and causing bodily harm – while responsible for them – aggravated assault, and eight counts of abusing a minor.
Prosecutors alleged that the nature, frequency, and number of the incidents amounted to physical abuse of eight children, as well as psychological abuse.
Shahar, who owned and managed the daycare and also worked there as a caregiver, is accused of assaulting two children herself and failing to prevent the alleged violence carried out by the two assistants.
Several parents had reported injuries sustained by their children while at the daycare, according to the indictment. A trainee assistant had also allegedly warned Shahar in January 2024 about Levi’s unusual and aggressive treatment of the children.
Shahar was also allegedly present during several of the assaults.
Despite the complaints and what she had witnessed, prosecutors said Shahar did not properly investigate the parents’ reports or take steps to ensure that violence was not used against the children.
In two incidents, she allegedly held one girl upside down by her legs, leaving her body suspended in the air, and pushed another girl’s head toward a mattress before striking her, pulling her by the arm, and lifting her into the air.
Shahar is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and breaching the duty of a parent or person responsible for a child.
The separate indictment against Ariel charges her with 15 counts of aggravated assault.
Prosecutors said Ariel pulled children by one hand, lifted them into the air by an arm or wrist, completely covered their heads while putting them to sleep, pushed their heads into mattresses, and force-fed one child.
The indictments state that 21 infants and toddlers were under the supervision of the three women during the relevant period, from September until December 29, 2024.
They also allege that the private daycare operated without the business license required by law.
Alongside the indictments, prosecutors asked the courts to extend orders barring all three defendants from working in any position involving the care of minors until the conclusion of the proceedings against them.