Detective Recounts Solving 1990s Tel Aviv Murders Linked to Drugs and Hamas

Former police detective Efraim "Kremshnitt" Erlich has recounted his pivotal role in solving a series of murders in Tel Aviv during the 1990s, a case that initially baffled authorities and involved seven victims. Erlich, then a drug squad officer, was off-duty on Sukkot when he heard a radio report about three bodies found in an apartment on Reishit Hochma Street. The address triggered a memory, leading him to believe it was connected to a previous case involving a woman named Miriam Abbas and a debt.

Despite initial skepticism from his superior, Detective Dudi Barak, Erlich insisted on investigating, driven by his dedication to his work. He theorized that if two women with a debt complaint were found together, it must be linked to the murders. Their investigation led them to another apartment on Yehuda Yamit Street in Jaffa, where they discovered four more bodies hidden in a bedroom. Erlich recalled using a neighbor's flashlight and relying on intuition, as mobile phones were not yet standard police tools.

The investigation revealed the victims were lured to a drug den, murdered, and then the perpetrator fled to the Gaza Strip. The neighbor's testimony about a suspicious individual leaving the apartment was crucial. The primary suspect, identified as a drug dealer, was later apprehended in Gaza with the assistance of the IDF's Samson unit. Erlich stated that those involved were convicted and sentenced to seven life terms each.

Decades later, the motive for the murders remains debated, with theories ranging from underworld disputes in prostitution and drug rings to nationalistic motivations. One version suggests the killings of Jews were intended as a "proof of loyalty" for Mohammed Halabi, who was suspected of being an informant and sought to join Hamas following his brother. Halabi died in May at age 69 in a hospital associated with the prison center.

Erlich, who now works as a taxi driver, reflects on how policing has changed with widespread surveillance cameras and advanced technology, yet he still retains a deep knowledge of the city's streets and its darker history. He remembers the initial radio call, the rags stuffed in the doorframe, and the neighbor's candle, recalling his past intensity for police work.