The Be'er Sheva Magistrates Court has ordered the cessation of operations at a Be'er Sheva daycare, Israel Hayom reported.
The order, which closes the city's Gan Renanim for a period of one year, was issued two days ago.
According to the report, it followed a ruling in which the court accepted the stance of the Prosecutor's Office against the daycare manager, Ruti Salem.
Salem is suspected of committing crimes against children in the daycare, who were in her care.
In addition, the Prosecutor's Office has decided to submit an indictment against Salem, subject to a hearing, on suspicion that she committed crimes of abusing the children, attacking helpless individuals, and leaving children without appropriate supervision.
According to Israel Hayom, the request was preceded by administrative orders to cease operations. The first such order was issued in December last year, against operating the daycare center at 4 Hava Street in Be'er Sheva, for a period of 90 days. At that time, that was the maximum suspension period.
After the order was issued, Salem continued operating a different daycare in her private home, since the order was officially against the daycare, not against her personally.
In its request to issue a judicial order to cease operating the daycare, the State requested that Salem be banned from operating a daycare center at any address, even for a small number of children, after she did so last February. This, the State explained, is due to the danger Salem poses to the welfare of the children at the center.
The request, submitted by the civilian Southern District Prosecutor's Office to the Be'er Sheva Magistrates Court, is unprecedented, Israel Hayom added.
The Be'er Sheva Magistrates Court ruled: "There is a danger to the welfare of the children who remain in this framework, which is being operated by a daycare manager suspected of crimes against children. Therefore, there is justification in issuing a judicial order to cease operations."
In her ruling, the judge wrote: "The videos I have watched are enough to determine that what is seen in them is a picture that at times includes a lack of watchfulness and supervision over the children, which placed the children in physical danger at times (including a fall from a hanging car seat). Sometimes it exposed them to continued harm by other children, and sometimes it exposed them to people who came in with work tools to conduct maintenance at the daycare."
"In addition, a picture was revealed of consistent aggressive behavior, from the way the children were laid down, sat up, and held, to the way fighting children were separated, which was sometimes done by knocking one of them over."