Three workers at a private Tel Aviv daycare have been indicted on charges that they repeatedly abused infants and toddlers, aged about six to 18 months. Prosecutors say 21 children were under the center's care from September to Dec. 29, 2024, and describe a range of alleged assaults, including one incident on Dec. 19 when a toddler sustained a spiral humerus fracture and was hospitalized. The owner is accused both of taking part in assaults and of failing to act on parental complaints. Authorities also allege the daycare lacked a required business license and have sought to bar the defendants from working with minors during proceedings.
Three Tel Aviv Daycare Workers Indicted After Alleged Infant Abuse; Toddler Hospitalized With Spiral Arm Fracture
Israeli daycare-aged children (illustrative). March 24, 2026. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Three employees of a private Tel Aviv daycare have been formally indicted after prosecutors say they repeatedly abused infants and toddlers in their care, including one incident in which a toddler suffered a spiral fracture of the upper arm and was hospitalized.
Who Is Accused
The State Attorney's Office named Ortal Levi, 39, an assistant caregiver, and Natalie Shahar, 42, the owner-manager and caregiver of the facility, in an indictment filed in Tel Aviv District Court. A separate indictment was lodged in the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court against assistant Ronit Shira Ariel, 63, of Bat Yam.
Allegations and Incidents
Prosecutors say the alleged abuse took place between September and December 29, 2024, and involved 21 infants and toddlers aged roughly six months to 18 months. The indictment accuses the staff of a pattern of physical and psychological mistreatment that created an atmosphere of fear.
Illustration of a daycare. (credit: YOSSI ALONI/FLASH90)
Alleged actions attributed to the workers include throwing children onto floors or mattresses, forcefully pulling or lifting them by the arms or clothing, pushing or pressing their heads into mattresses, pinching cheeks, striking children, covering heads and faces with blankets, and force-feeding. Several children reportedly suffered injuries and showed changes in sleeping, eating and overall behavior.
Serious Injury on December 19, 2024
Prosecutors identified a December 19, 2024 incident as the most serious single event: they allege Levi twisted a toddler's right arm in a diaper-changing area. The child immediately stopped using the arm, cried out, and subsequently avoided using it, became withdrawn and had difficulty eating. The child was later taken to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv and diagnosed with a spiral fracture of the humerus; the fracture was sedated and repositioned, the arm was casted, and the child remained hospitalized for observation.
Charges and Alleged Failures
Levi faces multiple counts including assaulting a minor, causing serious injury while responsible for a child, aggravated assault and several counts of abusing minors. Shahar is accused of assaulting two children and of failing to investigate or stop the alleged abuse despite parental complaints and a trainee assistant's warning in January 2024; she faces counts of aggravated assault and breaching the duty of a person responsible for a child. Ariel is charged with 15 counts of aggravated assault, with prosecutors alleging she pulled children by a hand or wrist, covered heads while putting them to sleep and pressed their heads into mattresses.
Regulatory Concerns and Court Requests
The indictment also alleges the private daycare operated without the legally required business license. Prosecutors have asked courts to extend orders barring all three defendants from any position involving care of minors until the criminal proceedings conclude.
Note: All allegations are from the indictment; the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
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