Killing of Yoel Lhanghal

Yoel Lhanghal was an 18-year-old member of the Bnei Menashe community, a group in India whose Jewish lineage was recognized by Rabbi Shlomo Amar in 2005. Lhanghal and his family had recently immigrated to Israel, settling in Nof Hagalil. He did not speak Hebrew, was a yeshiva student, and was about to begin his military service.

On the evening of 7 October 2022, Lhanghal was visiting his girlfriend in Kiryat Shmona. While they sat near Histadrut Square, they were harassed by a group of teenagers who, according to police, accused Lhanghal of abusing his girlfriend; a fight ensued. Police arrived, saw Lhanghal injured, told everyone to go home, and departed — after which the confrontation resumed. Additional people arrived armed with stones, sticks, and chains. Prosecutors said 21-year-old Liad Edri had heard that "Thai people were beating up children" before stabbing Lhanghal. As Lhanghal tried to flee, a group of about 14 assailants beat him; CCTV footage showed him repeatedly attacked before he fell. He died at Ziv Medical Center in Safed.

The following day, police detained 11 suspects, including 9 teenagers and a soldier; minors were later placed under house arrest. Police questioned more than 100 people, mostly teens who had attended a nearby birthday party. Journalist Daniel Amram said he aided the investigation by confronting perpetrators and submitting confrontation footage to police.

On 21 November 2022, Liad Edri was charged with Lhanghal's murder, the only person charged with that offense. The indictment did not identify a racist motivation. In May 2023, Edri was released to house arrest on NIS 150,000 bail. He later pleaded guilty in a deal reducing his charges to aggravated assault with intent to cause harm and obstruction of justice. In September 2024, the court stated it remained unclear who had actually killed Lhanghal and sentenced Edri to 5.5 years in prison plus a NIS 50,000 fine — a verdict the Lhanghal family's attorney called too lenient. In October 2024, the State Attorney's Office appealed, arguing the maximum sentence for Edri's charges was 20 years and that his actions caused Lhanghal's death. In September 2024, ten others, mostly teens, were indicted for causing injury under aggravated circumstances; most were ultimately not convicted. In January 2026, a minor was sentenced to 250 hours of community service and a NIS 5,000 fine for aiding and abetting the assault.

Separately, police officer Haim Gabai, who was acquainted with Edri, was found to have advised Edri's mother to hire a lawyer before Edri was implicated, failed to disclose his connection to Edri, and attempted to remove bloodied evidence from the crime scene. He and two colleagues were indicted in January 2023 for providing confidential investigation information to Edri and were charged with obstruction of justice, fraud, and breach of trust. The Kiryat Shmona police chief lost his position over mishandling of the investigation; Gabai was fired and the other two officers reprimanded. In February 2024, Gabai pleaded guilty to fraud and breach of trust in exchange for the obstruction charge being dropped, with a potential sentence of community service — a resolution the Lhanghal family's attorney criticized as undermining the case against Edri.