{"id":426303,"date":"2026-05-05T10:34:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T10:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/426303\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T10:34:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T10:34:15","slug":"one-suspect-in-zelka-murder-tells-cops-everyone-was-hitting-him-what-should-i-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/426303\/","title":{"rendered":"One suspect in Zelka murder tells cops: ‘Everyone was hitting him, what, should I stop?’"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the teenagers suspected of involvement in the killing of pizzeria employee Yemanu Binyamin Zelka on Independence Day admitted to police that the 21-year-old victim was \u201cjust trying to defend himself\u201d as he was beaten and stabbed, Channel 12 reported Monday.<\/p>\n

Zelka, a Pizza Hut employee in Petah Tikva, was stabbed to death<\/a> on the night of the holiday in an attack by a group of adolescents after he told them not to spray party foam in the restaurant.<\/p>\n

The youths waited outside for Zelka to finish his late-night shift, ambushed and beat him, with at least one assailant taking out a knife and stabbing him. He died of his wounds a day later.<\/p>\n

According to a partial transcript from the interrogation, published by Channel 12, a police interrogator asked the suspect what he was seen doing in surveillance footage<\/a> documenting the stabbing in Petah Tikva.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are beating him, and he is already lying on the ground. What is he doing at this moment?\u201d the interrogator asked. The suspect responded: \u201cHe was just trying to defend himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The interrogator continued: \u201cI don\u2019t get it. Why are you continuing to hit him when he is already completely helpless, on the ground and unable to hurt anybody?\u201d<\/p>\n

The youth retorted: \u201cWhat should I do? Should I hit him and stop midway through? Everyone was hitting [him], what, should I stop?\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA screengrab of an image aired on Channel 12 on April 25, 2026, purporting to show a suspect holding a knife, which was allegedly used in the killing of Yemanu Binyamin Zelka in Petah Tikvah. (Channel 12)<\/p>\n

The interrogator pressed: \u201cHow long did you plan to beat him for? Until he died? You understand that\u2019s what happened. You were hitting him while he was lying in a pool of blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this point, the suspect stopped responding, according to the report.<\/p>\n

All 19 suspects in murder arrested, police say<\/p>\n

Police said Monday that all 19 people suspected of involvement in Zelka\u2019s murder had been arrested, following two weeks of searches.<\/p>\n

The investigation so far has included \u201cdiverse intelligence and technological means, including raids on suspects\u2019 houses, proactive arrests and an ongoing hunt for all those involved, some of whom have tried to escape or to hide in coordination with one another,\u201d according to police.<\/p>\n

Central District Commander Maj. Gen. Amir Cohen said he\u2019d spoken with the victim\u2019s family, and pledged to \u201ccontinue to act with determination, together with prosecutors, until all those involved are brought to justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The suspects in the attack itself are all minors.<\/p>\n

According to Hebrew media, the \u201ccentral suspect\u201d in the case, believed to have carried out the stabbing, is a 15-year-old male.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPeople gather outside a Pizza Hut branch in Petah Tikva, lighting candles and placing flowers in memory of employee Yemanu Binyamin Zelka, who was killed at the site days earlier, April 25, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni\/Flash90)<\/p>\n

He has reportedly been stonewalling investigators, though a report last week said he broke his silence to say, \u201cI didn\u2019t murder. I didn\u2019t stab.\u201d<\/p>\n

The central suspect\u2019s parents were reportedly also arrested<\/a>\u00a0on suspicion of tampering with the investigation, though it was not immediately clear whether police included them in the Monday count.<\/p>\n

According to Channel 12, police have received testimony that hours before the murder, the main suspect said: \u201cWho is he, anyway? I\u2019ll stab that zero. I\u2019ll go bring a knife and I\u2019ll get to him, so he won\u2019t mess with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The network also reported, on Friday, that the 15-year-old is expected to be charged with aggravated murder.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA child walks in front of a memorial mural of Yemanu Zelka, who was stabbed to death in Petah Tikva on Independence Day a week earlier, Ashdod, April 28, 2026. (Liron Moldovan\/Flash90)<\/p>\n

Zelka\u2019s killing last month came as a shock to many Israelis and spurred police to ramp up their efforts to combat juvenile delinquency, particularly in Tel Aviv and its environs.<\/p>\n

At a Knesset panel on Monday<\/a> on the topic of rising youth violence, officials from parliament\u2019s Research and Information Center presented findings detailing a sharp rise in juvenile delinquency from 2024 to 2025.<\/p>\n

Last week, police chief Danny Levy announced the launch of a nationwide operation<\/a>, both overt and covert, to combat juvenile delinquency and violence by youth gangs.<\/p>\n


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