Prominent Rabbi Amos Guetta Fatally Stabbed Inside Netanya Yeshiva, Suspect Arrested

Rabbi Amos Guetta, a 75-year-old revered kabbalist and head of a yeshiva in Netanya, was fatally stabbed inside his yeshiva late last night. Emergency services received the report at 5:45 a.m. of the stabbing on Shimon Bar Yochai Street. Paramedics found Rabbi Guetta with severe stab wounds and rushed him to Laniado Hospital, where he was pronounced dead despite resuscitation efforts. The suspect, a man in his twenties reportedly suffering from mental instability and previously part of the rabbi's circle, was arrested approximately two hours after the attack in central Netanya.

Initial investigations revealed the suspect had just finished praying near the rabbi’s bedside before pulling out a knife and stabbing him four times. The rabbi’s assistant attempted to intervene and was also injured. Police launched a large-scale manhunt immediately after the stabbing. This incident is not the first violent attack linked to the yeshiva; in 2009, a student was murdered by another student there.

Due to community opposition to a forensic autopsy at the Abu Kabir Institute, authorities arranged for the examination to be conducted at Laniado Hospital. Thousands are expected to attend Rabbi Guetta’s funeral, with police preparing to secure the event.

Prominent figures expressed condolences, including Israel’s Chief Rabbi David Yosef, who praised Guetta’s lifelong dedication to Torah and kindness, and Netanya Mayor Avi Salama, who called him a "pillar of Torah and kindness". The Shas party also mourned the loss of the "righteous and brilliant kabbalist" who devoted decades to teaching and guiding others.

Earlier this morning, two additional unrelated murders occurred in Shfaram and the Yagur area, marking a violent day in the region.