Family Members Sentenced for Brutal Murder of Pregnant Woman in Front of Children

The Central District Court in Lod has sentenced three individuals for the murder of 26-year-old Aya Abu Hadaj, who was killed in Lod on November 30, 2023. The victim was heavily pregnant and was murdered in front of her two young children. Her half-brother, who was 14.5 years old at the time of the crime, received a 22-year prison sentence. Her cousin, approximately 15.5 years old at the time, was sentenced to 17 years. The victim's father was sentenced to 15 years for aiding and abetting the murder, among other offenses. According to the prosecution, the motive for the murder was Aya's refusal to return to live with her father and his family in Khura. The prosecution stated that two masked teenagers armed with knives lay in wait for her near her home. In the morning, as she left with her four and five-year-old children on their way to kindergarten, her half-brother attacked her, stabbing her approximately 20 times. He continued the assault even as she lay on the ground attempting to defend herself. Aya was taken to the hospital, but both she and her unborn child, who was 30 weeks pregnant, could not be saved. The prosecution also established that the woman's father had previously severely beaten her in the courtyard of their home. The court ordered the convicted individuals to pay the victim's children over 300,000 shekels in compensation. The prosecution emphasized that this was an exceptionally brutal intra-family murder of a young pregnant woman in front of her children.