17 women murdered. We cannot accept an 18th victim

The Times of Israel · Ido Rosenzweig · 2026-11-04 19:39 UTC

Before another woman is killed by a family member, Israel's next government – and its men – must take responsibility for preventing violence

Misrak Avi, 43, was murdered on Monday in Petah Tikva, allegedly by her husband, at home, in front of their four children.

That is how November, the month for raising awareness of violence against women, began. Avi is the 17th woman murdered this year in a gender-based killing, and the fourth killed by her partner in recent weeks. Just last week, Tamara Amran, 21, and Yana Zikova, 43, were murdered, and in early October, Nania Melda, 40, was murdered.

The figures show that the scale of killings within families remains alarming year after year. According to the Michal Sela Forum, at least 17 women have been murdered within their families every year for the past six years. The year 2026 is not over, and we are already at 17 murdered women. I fear that by the time these words are published, the number will, God forbid, have grown.

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