Teen boy is stabbed outside LGBT youth centre in Tel Aviv ‘hate crime’
Police officers outside the Beit Dror LGBT+ youth centre in Tel Aviv.(kann_news)
A teenage boy was reportedly left seriously injured after he was stabbed outside a centre for LGBT+ youth in Tel Aviv, Israel, in what one rights group has described as a “hate crime.”
The 16 year old, who was living at Beit Dror, an emergency shelter for LGBT+ youth, was allegedly stabbed on Friday afternoon (July 26), according to The Times of Israel.
He was reportedly stabbed by a man who subsequently fled the scene in a car.
Victim taken to hospital in Tel Aviv in serious condition
Local media have covered the incident in Tel Aviv. (@newsisrael13/Twitter)
The victim was taken to Ichilov hospital in a serious condition with wounds to his chest and leg, which required surgery.
The teen reportedly told staff at the hostel that he was stabbed by his brother before losing consciousness, according to the Hebrew-language Channel 12, as translated by The Times of Israel.
He was allegedly on his way out of the hostel to go on holiday before being stabbed and managed to get to the entrance of the building before collapsing.
Police investigate Tel Aviv stabbing
Police have reportedly launched an investigation into the incident.
Unconfirmed local reports claimed the victim was from the city of Tamra and had was under pressure from his family to be religious, according to broadcaster i24NEWS.
PinkNews has contacted Beit Dror for comment.
The Israeli LGBTQ+ Youth Organization (IGY) said in a statement to The Times of Israel that it believes the incident was a hate crime.
IGY also highlighted that the stabbing occurred nearly coincides with the tenth anniversary of a shooting outside gay centre Bar-Noar in Tel Aviv on August 1 2009, in which two people were killed.
This stabbing was not coincidental. This is a hate crime against the LGBT community.
“Exactly 10 years after the murder at Bar Noar, today a LGBT youth was stabbed while exiting a shelter. We pray for the well-being of the wounded and stand with Beit Dror on this difficult day,” IGY told The Times of Israel.
“This stabbing was not coincidental. This is a hate crime against the LGBT community. There is a price for the insinuations and LGBT-phobia we hear everyday.”
