At least 1,000 daycare centers operate illegally in Israel

Deaths of two infants highlight widespread lack of oversight.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

At least 1,000 private daycare centers in Israel are operating illegally, without licenses or oversight, according to a report by the Knesset Research and Information Center.

Since 2022, all early childhood daycare centers serving children from birth to age three have been required to operate under the supervision of the Education Ministry.

The reform was intended to create a unified educational continuum from birth to age 18, reduce gaps in care, and ensure that facilities meet safety and professional standards.

However, a State Comptroller field investigation that year, cited in the report, found that about 790 daycare centers known to the ministry had not even applied for a license, while others were not registered at all.

As a result, hundreds of facilities are operating without recognition or supervision, despite having complied with certain administrative requirements, such as submitting employee information to the National Insurance Institute.

The issue drew renewed attention following the deaths on Monday of two infants and the injury of dozens of others at an unlicensed daycare center in Jerusalem.

The small, four-room apartment where the children were being cared for was severely overcrowded, according to rescue personnel who evacuated it and took the victims to several of the capital’s hospitals.

The caregivers had called emergency services after noticing that several of their charges were experiencing breathing difficulties.

The prevailing suspicion is that the infants died of dehydration after being kept in an overheated space, although the authorities are also reportedly examining the possibility of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.

Staff at the L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir have so far conducted only external examinations of the bodies.

A court has ordered full autopsies, but the infants’ ultra-Orthodox parents have objected on religious grounds.

Autopsies are generally forbidden in Judaism due to the importance placed on preserving bodily integrity and ensuring prompt burial.

While exceptions are permitted — such as when determining a cause of death could save future lives — haredi extremist groups routinely protest such procedures, as they did Monday night in Jerusalem, blocking major streets until the police dispersed them.

Following an initial investigation, police decided to arrest the daycare center owner and one caregiver. A second caregiver was questioned and released.

A hearing on extending their detention is scheduled for Tuesday.