Israeli toddler poison scare after sedatives found in blood of Jerusalem children

Police and Israel’s Health Ministry have opened a wide investigation after traces of anesthetic and sedative drugs from the benzodiazepine family were found in the blood of at least three toddlers in Jerusalem. The children were brought to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in recent days and last month with apathy, marked weakness and exhaustion, and were discharged after medical observation once they improved.

According to a report by Kan News, the alarming cases involved at least two separate incidents over a period of a few weeks, in which infants were rushed to hospital after eating baby food purees. Lab tests identified benzodiazepines, a class of prescription anti-anxiety and sedative medicines for adults, including drugs such as Klonex and Valium. The unusual findings prompted immediate involvement by law-enforcement and health officials.

The police opened a criminal investigation, while the Health Ministry launched an urgent epidemiological probe. Initial checks showed that all of the affected children had eaten different baby food purees made by Prinook shortly before falling ill. The products were reportedly bought individually, not as part of sealed multipacks, at different branches of a well-known supermarket chain in Jerusalem.

Officials stressed that a scientific and medical link between the food and the drug traces has not yet been proven. So far, no similar cases have been reported elsewhere in Israel, but investigators are examining the supply chain, manufacturing conditions, and the possibility of deliberate contamination or negligence at the point of sale. The Health Ministry told parents who used the products to watch for unusual sleepiness, unexplained fatigue, or confused speech, and to contact a pediatrician and the ministry’s hotline, 5400*, immediately if symptoms appear.