Criminal8/18/2026

Five People Arrested in Eldar Dayan Death Case

Police arrested five participants in the fight that preceded the death of Eldar Dayan, a 23-year-old from Dimona. Four of them are suspected of kicking him in the head; the connection between his injury and Dayan's death remains under investigation.

Key facts

•Publication date: August 18, 2026
•Deceased: Eldar Dayan, 23
•Five members of the second group were arrested
•Requested detention extension: eight days
•The case number and court name are not stated
•The charges filed are not stated in the source

What Happened

According to police, Dayan and his friends arranged in advance to meet another group near the Yarkon River in Petah Tikva. A fight broke out between the two groups, after which Dayan and his friends left the scene in a car, and on their way they ran over a person who sustained minor injuries. Police suspect that Dayan was kicked in the head during the confrontation, causing bleeding that may have led to his death.

The Arrests and Investigation

Two members of the second group were arrested on August 17, 2026, and two others on August 18. The fifth suspect, who had been in hiding until then, was arrested during a detention-extension hearing. Police requested that the detainees' detention be extended by eight days, but the court's decision is not stated in the source.

The Suspects' Positions

Four of them had already been questioned over the fight, but they had not previously been linked to Dayan's death. Defense attorneys for several of the suspects said that police link their clients to the assault but do not attribute to them an offense that caused the death. The suspects whose positions were cited in the report deny taking part in the beating or causing the death.

Other Parties Involved in the Case

Earlier, Dayan's two friends—Omri Peretz and Maxim Barberman—were arrested. According to the source's report, they gave two different accounts of the incident during their questioning. Dayan disappeared after the meeting on July 16, and his body was found three weeks later, about 200 meters from where the abandoned car was found, with one of its windows shattered and traces of blood on it.

What this means for you

The arrests and the request to extend detention mean that the investigation is ongoing, not that guilt has been established. Police still need to determine whether there was a causal connection between the injury sustained during the fight and Dayan's death, as well as the role of each participant. The source does not report that an indictment was filed or that a final judicial decision was issued.

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Case analysis based on court rulings