Report Reveals Sharp Rise in Orphans Due to Domestic Homicides
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A report by the Michal Sela Forum indicates a sharp rise in children orphaned by domestic homicides, with 241 children losing mothers between 2020 and 2026. The year 2025 saw a record 51 new orphans, a 112.5% increase from 2024. The report also highlights an escalation in child murders within families, with 12 children killed and two attempted murders between 2020 and 2026. The forum's founder urged the government to create a professional support system for these children.
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- 241 children became orphans due to 88 mothers being murdered between 2020 and 2026.
- 2025 saw a record 51 new orphans, a 112.5% increase from 2024.
- The report highlights a disturbing rise in child homicides within families.
- 12 children were murdered and 2 attempted murders occurred between 2020 and 2026.
- The Michal Sela Forum founder called for a government support system for affected children.
A new report released by the Michal Sela Forum on Monday, coinciding with the month dedicated to preventing violence against women, reveals a dramatic increase in the number of children orphaned by domestic homicides. Between 2020 and 2026, 241 children have been orphaned as a result of 88 mothers being murdered. The report highlights that 2026, which has not yet concluded, has already set a grim record for child homicides within families.
Lili Ben Ami, founder of the Michal Sela Forum and sister of the late Michal Sela, stated that the organization is dedicated to amplifying the voices of these children, describing them as a "transparent front." She emphasized the forum's active support for bereaved families navigating immense hardship.
In 2025, a record 51 new orphans were created due to family murders, the highest number since the forum began tracking in 2020. This figure represents a significant 112.5% surge compared to the previous year, which saw 24 orphans. Alongside the rise in orphans, the report also indicates a disturbing escalation in child homicides within families. From 2020 to 2026, 12 children have been murdered within their families, with two additional attempted murders. Most victims were minors, with the exception of Liana Sevanuk, who was murdered at age 21 by her father and is included in the report.
The first ten months of 2026 have seen four children murdered by their fathers and a fifth child surviving an attempted murder by his stepfather, doubling the annual average. Of the 241 orphans between 2020 and 2026, 52.7% are from the Jewish community, 42.3% from the Arab community, 3.7% have mothers with foreign citizenship, and the mothers' origins were not published in 1.2% of cases.
Ben Ami called for the Israeli government to establish a professional and experienced system to support these children and their caregivers immediately after such events, criticizing the current reliance on donations and media information gathering by NGOs. She stressed that children in these horrific situations face a never-ending nightmare beyond the initial murder and that they remain invisible.