Man Poisoned Baby Food in Jerusalem Stores, Five Hospitalized

The State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment Monday at the Jerusalem District Court against a 41-year-old Beer Sheva resident accused of inserting prescription medications into baby food jars and placing them on supermarket shelves in Jerusalem, disguised as legitimate products for sale.

Five young children, including infants under one year old, were poisoned as a result of his actions and were evacuated to hospitals for treatment. Prosecutors are requesting the court order his detention until the conclusion of legal proceedings.

According to the indictment, filed by Attorney Moriah Beina Weisman of the Jerusalem District Prosecutor's Office, during May and June 2026 the defendant possessed prescription medications from the benzodiazepine family, which are prohibited for use in children without specialist approval. On multiple occasions, he crushed pills and inserted them into "Prinok" brand baby food jars, sealed the containers, and placed them on shelves at "Zol V'Gadol" chain locations in Jerusalem to be offered for sale to customers.

In one incident detailed in the indictment, he placed two poisoned baby food jars on the infant products shelf at the chain's Jaffa Street branch near Mahane Yehuda market. Each jar contained the equivalent of approximately 17 prescription pills or more. One jar was purchased by a mother, and the following day her 12-year-old daughter fed the contents to her two younger sisters, aged approximately three-and-a-half years and eight months. Immediately afterward, both children collapsed and suffered from confusion and extreme weakness. They were evacuated by intensive care ambulance to the hospital and hospitalized for several days. Tests revealed severe benzodiazepine poisoning at levels ten times the maximum normal range.

Watch the footage (Photo: Israel Police Spokesperson)

In another incident described in the indictment, the suspect placed four poisoned baby food jars on the infant products shelf at the chain's Jaffa Street branch near the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem. Each of these jars also contained the equivalent of approximately 17 prescription pills or more. One jar was purchased and subsequently fed to three young children, aged approximately three years, 11 months, and three years. Within minutes they began suffering from confusion, drowsiness, instability, and loss of muscle tone. All three were evacuated to the hospital and hospitalized, and severe benzodiazepine poisoning was also found in their systems.

Following these incidents, all baby food products from the company were collected from the stores, and testing revealed additional poisoned jars. Subsequently, closure orders were issued for both chain locations due to public health concerns.

The indictment charges the defendant with five counts of using dangerous poison, five counts of assaulting a minor or helpless person, two counts of attempted use of dangerous poison, two counts of attempted assault of a minor or helpless person, and one count of theft.

Attorney Moriah Beina Weisman of the Jerusalem District Prosecutor's Office stated: "Five infants and toddlers were harmed, and these incidents could have ended with far more serious consequences and harmed additional children. We are talking about tender infants and toddlers, the youngest of whom was only eight months old, who were harmed by food intended for them. The harm specifically to children of these ages, through a basic product meant to nourish them, intensifies the severity of the acts attributed to the defendant."