Mother Charged with Neglect and Abuse After Toddler Falls from Third-Floor Balcony in Beersheba

The Beersheba District Attorney's Office filed charges against a 30-year-old local woman for neglecting and abusing her two young daughters, leading to one child falling from their third-floor balcony and sustaining serious injuries. According to the indictment submitted to the Beersheba Magistrate's Court, the mother lived with her partner and two daughters born in 2018 and 2023. She repeatedly assaulted the younger daughter with kicks and slaps, causing injury on one occasion. The mother also locked both girls in their room overnight multiple times, ignoring their prolonged attempts to get out.

During a home renovation, the mother and her partner sawed through parts of the balcony railing to install drywall, creating a large gap. Despite knowing the balcony was unsafe and the sliding door could not be locked, she failed to secure the area or supervise the children properly. At the beginning of the month, while the mother was in her room, the girls opened the balcony door; the younger daughter fell and was seriously hurt. The older sister carried her back inside and alerted the mother only afterward. The injured toddler was hospitalized for 12 days with fractures to her hip and pelvis, liver injury, and pneumothorax.

The indictment accuses the mother of child abuse causing injury, neglect, unlawful confinement, and leaving a child unattended. Separately, in Tel Aviv, prosecutors charged three nursery staff members, including the owner and two assistants, with abusing toddlers at "Gan Haim" daycare. The alleged mistreatment involved physical and emotional abuse of 21 infants aged six months to 18 months between September and December 2024, causing lasting harm to some children. The prosecution seeks to extend their ban from working with minors during the legal proceedings.