7-Year-Old Hallel Dadon Murdered in Beit Shemesh, Suspect Arrested

Hallel Mordechai Dadon, a 7-year-old boy, was laid to rest on Tuesday afternoon at the "Derech HaChaim" cemetery in Beit Shemesh after being fatally stabbed in his home the previous day. His 4-year-old cousin, who was moderately injured in the attack, remains hospitalized at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem. Hallel's father, Reuven Edri, mourned his son, saying, "In your last moments I was with you, I wish I could have done more, I wish I could turn back time. I hope you didn’t feel alone and noticed I was by your side."

The suspect, a neighbor with reported mental instability, was arrested minutes after the murder. Initial investigations revealed that the father found the two injured children in an inflatable pool in the yard upon returning home. Reports indicate the children had been at their grandmother’s house and were planning to go out for a family meal. Witnesses stated the suspect washed the knife after the attack and reportedly said, "I killed Adam and Eve."

Magen David Adom paramedic Yosef Chaim Bernfeld described the scene as horrific, recalling that they found a 9-year-old boy unconscious, without pulse or breathing, and a conscious 4-year-old child. They provided life-saving treatment and performed resuscitation on the 9-year-old before evacuating both to the hospital in critical condition.