By TPS-IL • July 1, 2026
Jerusalem, 1 July, 2026 (TPS-IL) —
Rabbi Amos Gueta, a prominent Israeli Kabbalist and spiritual leader, was stabbed to death early Wednesday inside his religious study hall in the coastal city of Netanya. A suspect in his twenties was arrested about two hours later following a police manhunt.
Magen David Adom paramedics said they were called at 5:45 a.m. to the study hall on Bar Yochai Street, where they found Gueta, 75, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Medics evacuated him to Laniado Hospital while performing resuscitation efforts, but he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
According to initial findings, the suspect had prayed alongside Gueta before drawing a knife and stabbing him several times. The rabbi’s aide, who tried to intervene, was also wounded. Police were examining whether the suspect had a history of mental health issues.
Dozens of Gueta’s followers gathered at Laniado Hospital and protested plans to transfer his body to the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for examination. Following the protest, authorities made the unusual decision to send a forensic team to Laniado to conduct the examination on-site.
Police said officers from the Sharon District were preparing security arrangements for the funeral procession, which is expected to draw thousands of mourners.
The study hall was also the scene of a fatal stabbing in 2009, when one student killed another.
Gueta was born in Libya in 1951 and immigrated to Israel as a young man. He studied conventional medicine for several years before leaving that path and devoting himself to religious study. He later founded and led a community study center in Netanya named after a historic Libyan Jewish sage, becoming a central figure among Jews of North African descent and followers of Jewish mysticism.
Known as a mekubal, or Kabbalist, Gueta was regarded by followers as an ascetic spiritual figure who combined intensive religious study with public outreach. His community said he often received people seeking counsel, including the homeless, the poor, and those facing emotional or mental distress.
Netanya Mayor Avi Salma called Gueta “a great luminary and pillar of Torah and kindness in the city of Netanya,” saying he had guided thousands of residents and families in Israel and abroad.
Sefardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef eulogized him as “a servant of God with devotion and sincerity,” saying Gueta had dedicated his life to religious study and bringing Jews closer to their faith.
The Shas party said it was “shaken to the depths of our souls” by his death, describing Gueta as a scholar of both Jewish law and Kabbalah who had “welcomed every Jew with warmth.”
