Infant dies after ‘incident’ at unlicensed Tel Aviv nursery

The force later confirmed they would look to extend the employee’s detention, with a hearing set for Wednesday afternoon at Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court.

Investigators are now reportedly awaiting the results of forensic tests carried out by the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine. Per Ynet, one possibility under examination is that the young boy fell and hit his head.

The tragedy follows a similar case earlier this month in which two children died, and dozens of others were injured, at an unlicensed nursery in Jerusalem.

Police believe the casualties were caused by a fault in the heating system, with conflicting reports suggesting either a gas leak or a case of mass heat exhaustion.

But, as it was a Charedi nursery, authorities' attempts to autopsy the children to determine the cause of death sparked rioting among the strictly-Orthodox community.

The High Court later blocked the post-mortem requests, ruling that other non-surgical tests were available to pathologists.

It is understood that, in the Tel Aviv case, the nursery primarily served the children of foreign workers, not the Charedi community.

Unlicensed facilities have been a longstanding problem in Israel, despite a programme of state-subsidised care for the under-threes.

A 2022 report from the state comptroller found that only 27 per cent of eligible children were in subsidised public institutions, with 38 per cent kept at home.

The report also highlighted a particular squeeze on subsidised places in cities and challenges in affordability for certain communities, particularly Arab-Israelis and the Charedim.