The family of seven-year-old Hillel Mordechai Dadon, who was murdered in Beit Shemesh, arrived at court Monday morning for a hearing on the indictment against Liel Ifergan, who is accused of murdering the child and attempting to murder his cousin.
Chana, Hillel's grandmother, held a photograph of her grandson in her hands, broke down in tears, and cried out over the tragedy that has befallen the family.
"He finished us. This man killed the entire family, one by one. We simply can't bear it anymore," Chana said. She suffers from a lung disease. "The little children are crying. It is very difficult for us to cope with all of this."
The grandmother embraced the photograph of Hillel and struggled to stop crying.
"Such a sweet little boy - what did he ever do in his life? Nothing," she cried.
Tamar, Hillel's mother, spoke about the family's condition and her concern for her mother's health.
"My mother has a lung disease. I'm afraid she's going to die. I don't accept the psychiatric explanation. I am a person who pursues peace, but this case has killed all of my innocence about this world. My life changed in one day. This man will receive his punishment."
The mother described the difficulty of appearing in court and facing the legal proceedings following her son's death.
"Getting up to a morning like this is an enormous upheaval for my soul. I am on the verge of collapse. Help us ensure that justice is done quickly."
Amos, Hillel's father, called for the legal proceedings to move forward quickly and for the family to be spared further suffering.
"We hope that justice will come to light, and quickly. That they won't shake us up too much and won't abuse the family as well, because this has affected so many people. It is something that is incomprehensible. We are trying to remain strong because we have other children."
Earlier, the State Attorney's Office filed an indictment with the Jerusalem District Court against Ifergan, 26, a resident of Beit Shemesh.
The indictment charges him with intentional murder under aggravated circumstances in the death of Hillel, attempted murder of his cousin, and aggravated serious bodily injury. The prosecution is seeking to have him remain in custody until the conclusion of the legal proceedings.
According to the indictment, last month, Hillel went in the afternoon to visit his uncle's home and was playing in a pool in the yard with his cousin. At approximately 4:38 p.m., while the children were in the pool and the cousin's father was in the kitchen, Ifergan ran out of the residential unit in the neighboring home, where he lives with his father and brother. He was carrying a knife.
According to the indictment, Ifergan entered the yard and approached the pool, where he stabbed Hillel once in the chest and his cousin once in the neck, intending to kill them both.
After the cousin cried out in pain, Ifergan allegedly fled back to the residential unit and cleaned the blood from the knife.
Hillel was critically wounded in the chest and died of his injuries. His cousin suffered a wound to the right side of his neck and sustained active bleeding. He was rushed into surgery, placed under sedation and on a ventilator, and remained hospitalized for three days.
The State Attorney's Office said, "We share in the profound grief of the family of Hillel Mordechai Dadon, of blessed memory, and pray for the full recovery of his cousin. It is difficult to comprehend the gap between the innocent game of two children in a pool and the defendant's decision to arm himself with a knife and take their lives."
The prosecution added, "The indictment filed today reflects the extraordinary severity of the acts attributed to the defendant and the grave and irreversible outcome to which they led."