A 7-year-old boy was murdered and his 4-year-old cousin was critically wounded Monday afternoon in a horrific stabbing in Beit Shemesh, after a neighbor allegedly entered the property and attacked the children during a family birthday celebration.

The two children were in the yard of a home on Emek HaZeitim Street, where the birthday party was taking place. According to details emerging from the initial investigation, a 15-year-old relative who was watching the children witnessed the attack. The father of one of the children subsequently arrived and found the two youngsters wounded near the swimming pool in the yard.

Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah emergency personnel rushed to the scene and provided initial medical treatment. The 7-year-old was listed in critical condition and transported to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Yerushalayim while undergoing resuscitation efforts. His 4-year-old cousin was also evacuated to the hospital in serious condition.

Despite continued attempts to save the older child, doctors at the hospital were ultimately forced to pronounce the 7-year-old dead.

United Hatzalah EMTs Yaakov Jungreis, Moshe Siroka and Eliya Asulin, who were among the first responders at the scene, said earlier: “We were told at the scene that they were injured as a result of violence. With the assistance of additional EMTs, we provided initial medical treatment at the scene to two victims whose conditions were defined as critical and serious, and they were then evacuated to the hospital for further medical treatment.”

Members of United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit were also dispatched to the scene to provide emotional assistance to relatives and witnesses following the traumatic attack.

Police arrested a neighborhood resident in his 20s shortly after the stabbing on suspicion of attacking the two children. The suspect’s father was questioned at the scene as investigators worked to determine what may have led to the deadly assault.

Authorities are examining several possible motives. Investigators are looking into whether the suspect may have been suffering from an unstable mental state, as well as whether an earlier dispute between the suspect’s family and the children’s family may have played a role. Police stressed that these remain investigative possibilities and that no motive has yet been established.

According to the preliminary investigation, the suspect arrived at the home where the children were gathered and, at some point, allegedly attacked them with a knife. Investigators are collecting testimony from family members and eyewitnesses, including the 15-year-old relative who was present when the attack occurred.

The emergency unfolded shortly after 4:40 p.m., when Magen David Adom’s 101 dispatch center received a report of two injured children on Emek HaZeitim Street. Initial reports from the scene were incomplete and included conflicting information about the children’s ages. The full circumstances and severity of the attack became clear only later.

Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the murder and the stabbing.

{Matzav.com}