Youth violence in Israel spiked sharply in the past year after several years of steady decline, according to new data from the Knesset Research and Information Center released ahead of an emergency hearing by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, chaired by MK Katy Shitrit.
According to analysis of Central Bureau of Statistics data, police opened criminal cases against more than 6,800 minors (up to age 18) in 2024/25, compared to 5,400 the previous year—a dramatic reversal after years of consecutive declines.
About 20% of offenses in cases opened this past year involved physical violence (offenses against the body and against persons, excluding sex crimes)—a slight increase from 18% the year before.
“In October 2025, I held a hearing in the committee under my responsibility, during which we warned law enforcement and authorities that we were on the verge of a severe epidemic,” said Committee Chair MK Keti Shitrit (Likud). “Unfortunately, we are now seeing the results of those concerns.”
“In the emergency hearing I initiated, I will demand clear answers: Has the Education Ministry adopted the committee’s recommendations? And what is actually being done to stop this phenomenon?” Shitrit said. “At the same time, I will demand accountability from law enforcement and the police. Every single case will be examined under the magnifying glass of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, as long as I stand at its head.”