Domestic violence in Israel

Rape survivors offer chilling testimonies of police, court negligence in Knesset committee hearing

"I filed a report with the police at the age of 17 against my father, who raped me," said one survivor. "The case was closed due to lack of evidence."

|ByMAYA ZANGER-NADIS
Committee Chairman Meirav Cohen leads status of Women and Gender Equality committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on February 24, 2026.
A WIZO report points at rising teen dating violence. (Ilustration)

WIZO warns in annual report of rising teen dating violence, nat’l data breakdown

The findings reveal the depth of a crisis that WIZO says now begins in adolescence and extends into adulthood, while policymakers remain largely in the dark.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
Names of women murdered by their husbands hang on billboards in Jerusalem on June 16, 2020, as part of protest actions to raise awareness of violence against women.

Femicide in Israel on the rise, particularly among Jewish-Israeli women

Over the past year, 32 women from both Jewish and Arab backgrounds were victims of femicide.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
Woman in distress.

Comptroller: Israel slow in fight against domestic abuse because of lack definition for violence

The state comptroller's report also found that domestic violence and the challenges to fight it have become exacerbated because of the Israel-Hamas War.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN

Elderly husband stabs sleeping wife in central Israel

Incident serves as one of the latest cases in ongoing wave of violence against women in both the Arab and Jewish sectors.

JUNE 26, 2017ByELIYAHU KAMISHER
Israel Police and Magen David Adom.

President lightens sentence of Arab woman convicted of murdering her husband

President Reuven Rivlin made the unusual move due the unique circumstances of Dalal Daoud's case, which involved extreme domestic abuse.

MAY 29, 2017ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
Abuse (Illustrative Photo)

Two-fifths of women under 48 report violence

An average of 4.6% suffered physical violence; 28% verbal or emotional violence; and 26.1% social violence.

NOVEMBER 25, 2016ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Violence against women

Efforts to combat child sexual abuse are being stepped up

Several studies have shown that approximately 1 in 5 children in Israel have suffered from some form of sexual abuse.

MARCH 27, 2016ByJEREMY SHARON
Child abuse (illustrative)

First Lady meets with haredi victims of domestic abuse

Bat Melech runs shelters for religious women who have been victims of domestic violence.

MARCH 8, 2016ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
NECHAMA RIVLIN hosts women rebuilding their lives after domestic abuse, at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem yesterday.

Ministers approve allowing off-duty security guards to carry guns

Over 200,000 Israelis have gun licenses.

JANUARY 3, 2016ByLAHAV HARKOV
Guns

PM pledges ‘significant steps’ against domestic violence

Netanyahu’s comments mark International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women

NOVEMBER 26, 2015ByLIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZI
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu meets with women living at a WIZO and government sponsored shelter for victims of domestic violence, during a tour marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

‘I looked pretty that night’

NOVEMBER 18, 2015ByNOREEN SADIK
Handcuffs [Illustrative]

NAAMAT launches campaign against violence among teenage couples

The campaign, launched ahead of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

NOVEMBER 16, 2015ByLIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZI
AAMAT advertisement on a bus targeting violence among teenage couples

Two children murdered by father on Moshav Yishrash to be buried in Ohio Wednesday

The children were killed hours after arriving in Israel to visit their father, who had a history of domestic violence.

JUNE 17, 2014ByBEN HARTMAN
Knife (illustrative) 370