Man Convicted of Murdering Teenager Muhammad Abu Khdair Dies at 42

Yosef Chaim Ben-David, who was convicted of the murder of teenager Muhammad Abu Khdair, died on Thursday at the age of 42 while hospitalized. Ben-David, a resident of Jerusalem, was serving time in HaSharon prison. The Israel Prison Service announced that an investigation team has been appointed to look into the circumstances of his death.

Ben-David was convicted in the case that occurred in July 2014. Abu Khdair, a Palestinian teenager from East Jerusalem, had left his home early in the morning before the start of Ramadan fasting. His burned body was found on July 2. According to the conviction, Ben-David murdered the teenager and burned his body in revenge for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc a month earlier.

Despite explicit court findings, Ben-David consistently claimed he was not aware of his actions at the time of the murder. In a 2019 conversation from Nitzan prison with Hadashot 13, he spoke of his attempts to reopen the case and his desire for a pardon. "I want them to reopen the case," he stated. "I don't deserve to sit for something I didn't do consciously."

He described his interrogations after his arrest, saying, "I was interrogated for four consecutive days, without sleep. At all these stages, I said I don't remember anything." He further claimed the murder was unplanned and his memory of that night was partial. "I didn't plan it. I mainly remember fire, I don't remember fleeing in the car afterward. Those who are not sick and have not experienced mania-depression, OCD, do not know how to distinguish this, only treatment professionals."