RAMALLAH: Israeli police arrested an Arab woman from East Jerusalem on suspicion that she attempted to slit the throat of her 5-year-old son who is sick with cancer “to put him out of his misery.”
The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon when the 30-year-old mother from East Jerusalem took a knife, slit her son’s throat and then fled to West Bank city of Hebron. The police said that the boy was rushed to East Jerusalem’s Al-Maqasid hospital in serious condition.
A few hours later the woman returned home, her husband called the police and she was arrested. In her police interrogation, the woman allegedly said that she tried to end her son’s life due to his terminally ill condition.
Police suspect the woman is mentally unstable, and it remains unclear whether she was aware of her actions at the time. She was transferred to a mental health institution late on Thursday, where she has been hospitalized against her will.
A psychological examination has been carried out to determine whether the woman is fit to stand for trial.
The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court extended the suspect’s remand by six days on Thursday. The police continue to investigate the incident.
