The murder of Yamanu Zalka: the mental and psychological mechanism that drives boys to commit murder

In 15- or 17-year-old boys, the limbic system, which is the center of emotions and impulses, is already working at full strength, but the inhibition system located in the prefrontal cortex is not yet sufficiently developed. This gap creates a situation where strong emotions such as anger or insult are translated into violent physical action in a fraction of a second, without the boy being able to stop and think about the seriousness of the act. When you add to this equation the high testosterone levels that characterize adolescence, you get an aggressive impulse that is very difficult to curb without appropriate psychological tools.

The medical literature also points to genetic and biological factors that can increase the tendency to extreme violence. There are studies showing that low levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for mood regulation, are associated with impulsive and aggressive behavior. Meanwhile, it was found that changes in dopamine receptors may cause boys to seek extreme thrills without feeling fear of the consequences of the act.

Although genetics is not destiny, it is a biological infrastructure that can erupt under certain environmental conditions. When a teenager grows up in an environment where violence is a tool to solve problems, or when he is exposed to harsh violent images on social media, his brain learns to adopt these patterns as the norm. In Israel, years of living in the shadow of war and security tension also contribute to the erosion of empathy and the sanctification of physical strength as a supreme value.

The group dynamics in the murder of Yamanu Zeleka is a key factor in understanding the extraordinary brutality. In social psychology, the term deindividuation is known, which describes a situation in which a person within a group loses their sense of personal responsibility. When boys are in a large group, they feel protected and tend to follow the most charismatic or violent leader. In such a situation, the moral inhibitions that would have worked for each of them individually simply disappear. Each boy in the group of 15 feels that the responsibility is shared between them all, so he allows himself to hit, kick or hit the victim with a glass as seen in the documentation. Adolescents’ desperate need to belong to a group and prove masculinity or strength causes them to commit acts that they themselves will have difficulty explaining later in the interrogation room.

The question of education from home always arises in such cases, and the medical literature confirms that this has a decisive weight. Children who grow up in homes where there is emotional neglect, physical violence or a complete lack of boundaries, develop violent defense mechanisms. But it is important to understand that even boys from seemingly normative homes may be drawn to violence if they suffer from undiagnosed behavioral disorders, such as rebellious behavior disorder or learning disabilities that create cumulative frustration.

When a boy can’t express himself with words, he uses his hands. A development in the investigation of the murder in Petah Tikva shows that the boys continued to attack Zalka even when he tried to escape, which indicates a total loss of control and a complete lack of compassion. The mind in such a situation is in a kind of emotional blindness where the victim is no longer seen as a human being, but as an object to be destroyed.

The severe violence is not only due to psychological and environmental motives, but may also be caused by extremely severe mental disorders that manifest in violence without expression of remorse. At the base of the clinical pyramid is a rebellious oppositional disorder that often appears already in the early stages of childhood and is characterized by a constant pattern of angry mood, stubbornness and marked rebellion against authority figures such as parents and teachers. Although this stage does not necessarily include physical harm, it is an initial marker of difficulty in emotional regulation and accepting social boundaries.

When this behavior is not treated, it may develop into a dangerous escalation diagnosed as conduct disorder. In this situation, the boy is no longer satisfied with just being rebellious, but moves to a systematic and blatant violation of the rights of others, which includes severe physical aggression towards humans and animals, destruction of property and a clear tendency to delinquency. The medical literature indicates that in these boys there is underactivity in the areas of the brain responsible for processing fear and distress, which makes them more immune to deterrence and punishment.

A particularly chilling clinical layer within the conduct disorder is the sub-characteristic defined as limited emotional characteristics, known in the professional literature as CU. These boys represent the most violent and cruel group, as they suffer from a complete lack of empathy and remorse. For them, the pain and suffering of the victim does not evoke any internal emotional response, which allows them to continue with sadistic and continuous acts of violence without any moral restraint. They are characterized by emotional coldness and the ability to manipulate without feeling guilty, which makes them especially dangerous in group situations where they tend to lead the level of cruelty.

In the long run, when these patterns of behavior become established and continue beyond the age of 18, they crystallize into an antisocial personality disorder. This disorder reflects a regular and persistent pattern of disdain for the law, gross irresponsibility, and an inability to adjust behavior to basic social norms. People with this disorder lack the moral compass that guides the normative person and see others as a tool to achieve their needs only. In boys involved in group murders, the clear buds of this disorder can often be seen already in adolescence, when the combination between the violent personality structure and the lack of emotional restraints creates a pattern of action in which human life becomes completely worthless.

Beyond the personal disorders, the unique Israeli context cannot be ignored. The teenagers involved in the murder in Petah Tikva are the product of a sequence of unprecedented traumatic events. It all started with the closures of the Corona epidemic, which interrupted the critical social and educational sequence of an entire generation. The boys stayed at home, exposed to screens and unmediated violent content, while losing the basic skills of conflict resolution without power. Immediately after that came the long and exhausting “Iron Swords” war, followed by the Iran wars. An entire generation has grown up into a reality where death is present in every news release, and military and physical force is seen as the only solution to any threat. The prolonged exposure to harsh sights and living under the threat of missiles created a deep erosion of empathy and emotional numbness.

When you add to this equation the inaction of the post-corona and post-war period, you get fertile ground for crime. Teenagers without supportive frameworks, without classes or significant employment, find themselves wandering the streets in search of thrills. For some, the adrenaline that an act of violence provides becomes a dangerous substitute for the sense of meaning they lack. The group dynamics make the situation worse: within a group of about 15 boys, a process of de-individuation takes place. The moral responsibility is shared among everyone, and no one feels that he is the only one to blame. Each boy tries to prove to his friends that he is stronger, bolder and more brutal, which leads to a rapid escalation that in this case ended in a terrible tragedy.

The family unit also has a decisive role, but it is not always “education for violence” in the simple sense of the word. Often, the violence stems precisely from the lack of boundaries and lack of parental authority. Boys who grew up in homes where the parents were immersed in the anxieties of war or financial hardship, developed a feeling that they were their own masters. The lack of an authoritative figure who knows how to put on a moral face and say “enough” makes the boys test the limits themselves, and in the Israeli reality of 2026, these limits have been pushed far into the bloody territory.

The eradication of violence requires a multi-systemic intervention already at an early age. Experts emphasize that teaching emotional regulation and conflict resolution in schools is necessary to prevent the next explosion. Invest in early diagnosis of violent tendencies and providing medical and psychological support to families at risk. The shocking case in Petah Tikva must be a warning sign for the entire Israeli society. As long as we continue to normalize violence in the public discourse, in the media and at home, the minds of the younger generation will continue to interpret the world as a place where only the strong and violent survive.

The fight against youth violence is of course a central matter of enforcement and the police which unfortunately are not carried out, but also a fight for the mental health of an entire society that experiences accumulated trauma and finds it difficult to set clear moral boundaries for its children. The fact that about 15 boys were involved in one incident shows that the problem is deep and rooted, and is not related only to one specific boy but to a wide-ranging social and educational failure that requires both medical and community root treatment.