Three daycare staff charged over more than 400 alleged acts of abuse in Ariel

The manager of a private daycare in the West Bank settlement of Ariel and two caregivers were indicted Sunday, November 8, over more than 400 alleged acts of abuse and assault against 17 children. Some of the babies and toddlers attending the Luchik daycare were just six months old.

Natalia Kisilevsky, the daycare’s 37-year-old manager, and caregivers Daryna Khalupa, 37, and Anna Pagelsky, 40, face charges at the Central District Court in Lod. The offenses include abuse of a minor or helpless person, assault of a helpless person by a responsible adult, and aggravated assault. Prosecutors requested their continued detention until proceedings conclude.

The indictment, submitted by Yehonatan Eilon-Hirsch of the Central District Prosecutor’s Office, describes an alleged pattern of severe, prolonged violence. Prosecutors say the defendants covered children’s airways with hands, paper or cloth while gripping the backs of their necks to restrict movement. They also allegedly shook children, bent their bodies and heads forward, and pressed them against mattresses for extended periods.

In some instances, the alleged obstruction of breathing continued repeatedly after children began choking, reddening and struggling for air. Some were left dazed and unsteady, according to the indictment. Prosecutors also allege that babies and toddlers were wrapped tightly in blankets or cloth, with their arms immobilized against their bodies, and placed on their stomachs.

Pagelsky and Khalupa are additionally accused of force-feeding restrained children. Prosecutors say they tilted children’s heads back, forced their jaws open and rapidly pushed pureed food into their mouths before wiping their faces painfully with paper. Other allegations include leaving children alone in a dark, closed room as punishment for significant periods, without supervision, while they cried and attempted to leave.

The prosecution says children who witnessed the alleged violence were also subjected to psychological abuse. According to the indictment, some cried or moved toward children who had been harmed. In seeking continued detention, prosecutors cited the frequency and nature of the alleged offenses, the victims’ ages and the defendants’ alleged betrayal of parental trust.

Courtroom footage published by public broadcaster Kan showed distressed parents confronting the defendants and shouting curses as security personnel escorted the women away. A mother told Ynet that her approximately 18-month-old son had attended the daycare for only 26 days but had changed markedly, waking up screaming 15 times a night and becoming anxious around other children from the daycare. She said injuries had prompted her suspicions before police intervened.

Channel 12 News reported that investigators found messages between Pagelsky and another child’s mother. In one exchange, Pagelsky sent a photograph and attributed a scratch to outdoor play, saying she had comforted the child and applied ointment. Former Likud lawmaker Oren Hazan, whose child attended the daycare, also spoke to Channel 12 about the allegations, saying that “they murdered my children’s souls.”

The case follows other prominent daycare abuse investigations in Israel, many involving security footage. Since September 2020, most daycare centers serving at least seven children younger than three have been required to install cameras unless 70 percent of parents object. The requirement followed abuse cases that sparked nationwide protests and calls for stronger oversight.