Israeli Mother Indicted for Neglect and Abuse After Toddler Falls from Balcony in Beersheba

The Israeli State Prosecutor's Office has filed charges against a 30-year-old woman from Beersheba for neglecting and abusing her two young daughters. The indictment alleges that the mother repeatedly locked her daughters in a room for hours without proper supervision and physically assaulted her younger daughter, born in 2023, including kicking and slapping her. The abuse culminated earlier this month when the toddler fell from the third-floor balcony of their apartment and sustained serious injuries.

According to the indictment, the mother lived with her partner and two daughters, born in 2018 and 2023. She reportedly left the children locked in their room overnight on multiple occasions, ignoring their attempts to get out. The older daughter allegedly attacked her younger sister about 20 times while the mother was present but did not intervene. During apartment renovations, the mother and her partner cut parts of the balcony railing to fit drywall, creating a large gap. Despite knowing the balcony was unsafe and the sliding door could not be locked, the mother failed to secure the area or prevent the children from accessing it.

On the day of the incident, the mother was in her room and not supervising the children when they opened the sliding door and went onto the balcony. The younger daughter fell approximately half a minute later and was seriously injured with fractures to her hip and pelvis, liver damage, and a pneumothorax. The older daughter carried her back inside and only then did the mother learn of the fall. The toddler was hospitalized for 12 days.

The indictment charges the mother with assault causing injury to a minor by a responsible party, child neglect, unlawful confinement, and leaving a child unsupervised. The case is now before the Beersheba Magistrate's Court.