Ariel Daycare Director and Two Workers Face Over 400 Abuse Charges

The State Attorney's Office filed an indictment in the Central District Court in Lod on Sunday against three employees of a private daycare in Ariel. The filing charges the director and two caregivers with more than 400 incidents of abuse and assault. The victims were 17 infants and toddlers ranging from six months to three years of age.

The defendants are Natalia Kasilevsky, 37, who directed the Luchik daycare center, and two caregivers, Darina Halufa, 37, and Anna Pagelsky, 40. Prosecutor Yehonatan Ayalon-Hirsch of the Central District Attorney's Office submitted the indictment. The prosecution has requested that the court detain the three women until the legal proceedings conclude.

The indictment describes a prolonged pattern of violence that the state characterized as exceptionally severe. The defendants allegedly used their positions of authority to exploit the power imbalance and total dependence of the young children. The charges include joint offenses for abusing a minor or helpless person by a responsible caregiver, causing actual bodily harm to a helpless person, and aggravated assault.

The state alleged that the workers implemented specific punishment methods. One method involved gripping toddlers' heads and blocking their airways with hands, paper, or cloth. The workers allegedly held the backs of the children's necks to prevent movement. In some instances, they continued to obstruct breathing even after the children turned red, struggled, and gasped for air.

Another method involved wrapping toddlers tightly in fabric and blankets to pin their arms against their bodies. The children were placed on their stomachs in a manner that prevented any movement. Caregivers Halufa and Pagelsky were also accused of force-feeding restrained toddlers. The indictment states they tilted the children's heads back, used physical pressure to open jaws, and rapidly pushed pureed food into their mouths.

The workers also allegedly wiped children's faces aggressively with paper and confined toddlers in a closed, dark room for long periods without supervision. The children were left in the room as a form of punishment while their cries and attempts to leave the space were ignored. The indictment includes charges for psychological abuse in addition to the physical harm.

The prosecution noted that the defendants frequently carried out these acts in front of other toddlers at the center. The children were repeatedly exposed to the violence committed against their peers. In some cases, the observers responded by crying and approaching the harmed child. The state argues that this exposure to physical abuse constituted additional psychological harm.

A special investigative team from the Samaria District's investigative and intelligence unit, along with the Ariel Police Station, investigated the case. The team gathered the evidence that forms the basis of the current indictment filed in Lod.