Arutz ShevaSecurity08:59

Three Caregivers Charged with Over 400 Abuse Incidents at Ariel Daycare

By ערוץ 7

Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba

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The State Prosecutor's Office has filed a serious indictment against the manager and two caregivers of the "Luchik" private daycare in Ariel, charging them with over 400 incidents of abuse against 17 infants and toddlers. The accused allegedly used violent methods including suffocation, force-feeding, and confinement. Prosecutors are requesting the detention of the three women until the end of their trial, citing the severity of the acts and the young age of the victims.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Three caregivers at Ariel's "Luchik" daycare face over 400 abuse charges involving 17 infants.
Alleged abuse methods include suffocation, force-feeding, and confinement in a dark room.
The indictment details systematic violence, including a "suffocation technique" and binding children.
Prosecutors are seeking to detain the manager and two caregivers until their trial concludes.
The daycare center is accused of becoming a place of repeated violence and harm for young children.

Three Caregivers Charged with Over 400 Abuse Incidents at Ariel Daycare — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

A severe indictment has been filed against the manager and two caregivers of the "Luchik" daycare center in Ariel, accusing them of over 400 instances of assault and abuse against 17 infants and toddlers aged six months to three years. The indictment, submitted to the Central District Court in Lod, details violent disciplinary methods including suffocating children, force-feeding, and confinement in a dark room.

The prosecution is seeking to detain the three defendants, identified as daycare manager Natalia Kasilvsky, 37, and caregivers Darina Khalfa, 37, and Anna Pegelski, 40, until the conclusion of legal proceedings. Prosecutors allege the women exploited their positions and the children's complete dependence to repeatedly inflict violence, including hitting, pushing, pulling, shaking, and throwing the toddlers onto floors and mattresses.

Specific methods described in the indictment include a "suffocation technique" where the accused allegedly blocked the children's airways with hands, paper, or cloth, sometimes holding their necks to prevent movement and forcing their heads and bodies down onto mattresses for extended periods. These actions reportedly continued even after the children began to choke and struggle for breath, sometimes leading to disorientation and loss of balance.

Another alleged form of abuse involved binding the toddlers tightly in blankets and cloths, restricting their movement, and then force-feeding them by pushing food into their mouths rapidly. The indictment also details instances where children were locked in a dark, closed room as punishment, left unattended for significant periods despite their crying and attempts to escape.

In addition to physical abuse, the caregivers are accused of psychological abuse, with many violent acts allegedly occurring in front of other children, causing them distress. The prosecution emphasized the defendants' alleged systematic and prolonged actions, their disregard for the children's cries, and the breach of trust by parents who placed their children in what should have been a safe environment.