Ben Gvir: 'We can't station an officer at every pizzeria'

Netanyahu vows police, education action following ‘heinous’ Petah Tikvah killing

Israel Police chief: Stabbing of pizzeria worker by teens is ‘unpredictable incident’ that is hard to prevent; Bennett: ‘Epidemic of violence and murder’ being ignored

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday weighed in on the murder of a pizzeria worker last week by a group of teenagers, vowing to take action at both the law enforcement and educational levels.

“I was shocked by the heinous murder in Petah Tikva,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, adding that he will meet with Education Minister Yoav Kisch and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to address the incident. Later Sunday, Netanyahu met in his office with both ministers, calling “to deepen the discourse in the education system on preventing violence among youth,” according to his office.

A group of teenagers in Petah Tikva stabbed 21-year-old Pizza Hut worker Yemanu Binyamin Zelka to death last week on Independence Day after he had asked them to stop spraying party foam inside the restaurant branch. The teens waited outside the eatery for him to finish his shift and then surrounded him, stabbing and beating him. He died of his wounds on Thursday.

Seven minors, ages 12-17, were arrested on Saturday in connection with the killing, and an eighth was arrested Sunday.

“The law must be fully applied to the murderers,” Netanyahu said Sunday, adding that “it must be instilled in classrooms and in homes, by teachers and parents, that this is a criminal act that must be denounced.”

Netanyahu also warned against what he described as “wild incitement” that followed the attack: “This is something we cannot accept. We must stop it and uproot it while it is still small.”

His remarks appeared to refer to public outrage following the killing, with hundreds gathering outside the Petah Tikva eatery on Saturday evening to demand stronger police action, chanting, “Ben Gvir, wake up.”

Israel Police chief Danny Levy said in a statement Sunday morning that while officers worked tirelessly against organized crime, some violent acts were impossible to predict or prevent.

“There are incidents rooted in organized crime, disputes between criminal organizations, and struggles over control and power — we act forcefully against these, in a focused and systematic manner,” said Levy in a statement from the Israel Police.

“At the same time, unfortunately, there are also spontaneous, unpredictable incidents — ones that are difficult and sometimes impossible to prevent in advance,” he said, including the murder of Zelka in Petah Tikva. “These illustrate how we are dealing with a complex and painful reality that requires deep, comprehensive treatment, coordination and the mobilization of all bodies involved in education, welfare, prevention and the legal system.”

In a statement late Saturday night, Ben Gvir said he was heartbroken by the “shocking and completely gratuitous murder.”

The minister, who oversees the Israel Police, said he discussed with the police chief the need to “continue to act until the murderers are brought to justice.”

“We are continuing to strengthen the police and to bring in thousands of additional officers, but it’s important to say directly — we can’t station a police officer at every pizzeria,” Ben Gvir added. “Alongside enforcement, we also need clear education: Violence is a red line that can’t be crossed. Period.”

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who is running in the upcoming national election, said Sunday that there is an “epidemic of violence and murder in the country.”

After visiting the Zelka family, Bennett wrote on social media that “this is a terrible failure — of education, culture and policing. Total chaos. There is no law and no justice.”

Police data published by the Ynet news site on Sunday showed that youth delinquency has reached new heights in and around the Tel Aviv area, with arrests nearly doubling since 2022.

Police opened 2,084 cases against minors in 2025 in the Tel Aviv area, according to the statistics. This compared to 1,935 cases in 2024, 1,851 in 2023 and 2,043 in 2022.

Most of the cases involved public order disturbances such as fighting in a public place and unlawful assembly, property damage and violent offenses.

Tel Aviv District police arrested 568 minors last year, as compared to 301 in 2022, meaning the rate at which minors are being detained on criminal suspicions has almost doubled. Indictments against minors have also risen sharply, from 442 in 2022 to 571 in 2025.

The vast majority of these cases concern minors who are Israeli citizens. According to the data, 80 percent of the cases were opened against Israelis, as opposed to West Bank Palestinians and foreign nationals.