241 children left motherless by family murders in Israel since 2020, report finds

Yesterday (Monday), the Michal Sela Forum released its report on children, “Dad Murdered Mom,” to mark the month dedicated to preventing violence against women.

The report found that 241 children were left motherless after 88 mothers were murdered by family members between 2020 and 2026. It also found that 2026, which is not yet over, has set a grim record for the murder of children by family members.

Following the recent spate of murders, the Michal Sela Forum has chosen to dedicate the month for the prevention of violence against women to children affected by murder within the family.

“Who in Israel speaks up for these children? This is an invisible front,” says Lily Ben Ami, founder of the Michal Sela Forum nonprofit and sister of the late Michal Sela.

Ben Ami personally supports bereaved families, actively helping them cope with unbearable hardships.

The year 2025 saw a record 51 children newly orphaned as a result of murder within the family. This is the highest number since records began in 2020 and a dramatic increase of 112.5% compared with the previous year (24 orphans in 2024).

Alongside the rise in the number of children orphaned, the Michal Sela Forum report also reveals an alarming escalation in the murder of children by family members.

Between 2020 and 2026, 12 children were murdered by family members, and two additional attempted murders of children by family members were reported.

All were minors, except for the late Liana Sabanok, who was murdered by her father at age 21 and is included in the report.

During this period, an average of two children per year were murdered by family members.

The first ten months of 2026 set a grim and bloody record, with four children murdered by their fathers and a fifth child surviving an attempt on his life by his stepfather—twice the annual average.

Of the 241 children orphaned between 2020 and 2026, 52.7% (127) are from the Jewish community, 42.3% (102) are from the Arab community, 3.7% (9) have mothers with foreign citizenship, and in 1.2% of cases (3), the mother’s origin was not disclosed.

Lily Ben Ami, founder of the Michal Sela Forum and sister of the late Michal Sela, concluded:

“For children caught in the horrific situation of a murder within the family, it is a nightmare that does not end with the murder itself.

“In a better world, the State of Israel would regularly publish these figures, rather than leaving it to a nonprofit funded by donations to piece together scraps of information from the media.

“How much longer will children living in the shadow of murder within the family remain invisible?

“In this report, the Michal Sela Forum gives a powerful voice to a cry that has been silenced for far too long.

“Once again, I call on the government to establish a professional, experienced support system that will assist these children from the moment of the incident, support the families raising them, and ensure that they are together immediately, without a minute’s delay.”