After a covert investigation that lasted several months, dozens of officers from the Northern District Police and the Border Police raided several sites in the moshav of Yavne'el in the Lower Galilee on Wednesday morning and detained many people for questioning over suspected underage marriages in a small, closed community.
Among those detained were community members alleged to organize the secret weddings, arrange matches for minors, and conduct the ceremonies in violation of the law, as well as several minors who are suspected to have married in recent months. Investigators said the weddings were typically held in the morning, with only a small number of attendees, and that the location was not disclosed until the last moment. Phones were kept out to avoid any recording, and the religious ceremony was often followed by a public event presented as an "engagement party" for extended family.
In February, after receiving real-time intelligence and as part of the investigation plan, Northern District detectives raided a suspected underage wedding held at a house in the settlement. Officers identified the bride and groom in wedding attire, and a search of the building found a ketubah, wedding rings and a cup wrapped in aluminum foil inside the water-meter cabinet.
As part of the case, investigators obtained court orders to collect information from hospitals in northern Israel. Those steps led them to more than 20 cases in the past three years in which girls from the community gave birth while Civil Administration records showed they were still registered as single. Police said they will continue to act firmly against crimes harming minors and helpless people, and will pursue the case with welfare agencies to uncover the truth and bring those involved to justice. MK Merav Cohen said at a Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women session that the fight against the phenomenon would continue until it is eradicated, adding, "We reached Yavne'el, held a discussion, and will hold another one," and thanked the police.
