Three Sentenced to Decades for Brutal Taxi Murder in Eilat Caught on Video

In June 2023, 21-year-old Osher Gazi was fatally stabbed in a taxi in Eilat after being chased and blocked by three assailants. The Southern District Court in Beersheba sentenced the perpetrators, Natanel Zikri (33), Yahav Dadon (25), and Ilai Rozet (25), to lengthy prison terms following the presentation of chilling video evidence showing the attack's lead-up and aftermath. Judges Yael Raz-Levi, Aharon Mishnayot, and Rachel Toren handed down 27 years each to Zikri and Dadon, and 25 years to Rozet, who pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal to charges including joint murder, arson, evidence destruction, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering.

The footage, shown in court by the Southern District Prosecutor's Office, depicts Dadon and Rozet repeatedly stabbing Gazi while he sat in the taxi's back seat. The video begins with the suspects pursuing the taxi, overtaking it, and blocking its path. Gazi is seen urging the driver to speed up to escape. After the taxi stops, the attackers open the rear doors, prevent Gazi from fleeing, and stab him multiple times. The victim’s desperate cries to the driver to move the vehicle continue as he struggles against the assailants until he collapses from his wounds.

The indictment revealed a prior conflict between Gazi and the three men, who decided to harm him. Rozet drove the car that blocked the taxi, while Dadon and Rozet stabbed Gazi in the neck and chest, yelling insults. Zikri threatened the taxi driver to silence him, but the driver immediately called the police, leading to the suspects’ swift arrest. Notably, Zikri had a prior suspended sentence for assaulting a police officer.

The judges described the killing as a senseless and unnecessary death, highlighting the cruelty and lawlessness involved. Zikri’s defense attorney, Rafi Litan, criticized the harsh sentence, arguing that Zikri did not physically stab Gazi and was unfairly punished more severely than the actual stabbers. Meanwhile, Rozet and Dadon expressed remorse and a desire to change, with Rozet claiming he was dragged into the crime and Dadon seeking to honor Gazi’s memory.

The case underscores the brutal nature of the crime and the legal consequences faced by the perpetrators in southern Israel.