Police detain seven minors for Independence Day stabbing of pizzeria worker in Petah Tikva

Israel Police on Saturday detained seven Israeli minors in connection to the murder of Yemanu Binyamin Zalka, a 21-year-old man who was stabbed to death outside a Pizza Hut branch in the city of Petah Tikva on the eve of Independence Day last Tuesday.

During the operation, six minors aged 13 to 17 were taken into custody by the police for questioning, while searches were being carried out at several addresses simultaneously, along with collecting evidence and findings that linked the suspects to involvement in the murder.

The police initially announced the detention of six minors, with the seventh one (who has been described as the main suspect) being detained later on Saturday when he was found in a hideout apartment in central Israel.

Zalka, who was a recently released IDF soldier, was killed after leaving work on the eve of Independence Day by a group of teenagers who, according to witnesses, were kicked out of the pizzeria where the victim worked because they were causing a commotion and spraying paper-spray towards the clients.

The group then waited for Zalka to close the shop, attacked him, and fatally wounded him. He was transported to the Belinson Hospital, where doctors fought for his life, but two days later, they were forced to declare him dead.

The police also insisted that a gag order remained in place for the investigation until further notice.

A police source told Walla that the suspects behaved like “high-ranking criminals”: they turned off their mobile phones, did not remain at their residential addresses, and tried to make themselves difficult to locate.

In addition, the police source noted that all the suspects have poor criminal records.

The suspects were transferred to the Sharon Police Unit for investigation, and, in accordance with its findings, they will be brought to court later today for a hearing seeking an extension of their detention.

The police emphasize that the investigation is ongoing and that additional actions are being taken to reach the truth and bring all those involved to justice.