Children Killed by Poison Identified, Siblings Remain in Critical Condition

The identities of the two children tragically killed yesterday by exposure to pesticides have been revealed: Avigayil Gross, 2, and Yael Gross, 4. The two were laid to rest today at the Har HaMenuchos cemetery in Jerusalem.

Brothers Michael, 5, and Yitzhak, 7 are reportedly still fighting for their lives. Their situation has been downgraded to critical condition and they have been transferred to the Schneider Medical Center in Petach Tikva.

From Arutz 7:

Wednesday’s tragedy occurred after an exterminator left highly toxic materials – phosphine, the same agents used in Syria’s chemical weapons – in the apartment’s enclosed security room, also known as the “Mamad” or bomb shelter.

Apparently, the security room’s seal was less effective than the storage requirements for the chemical require, and the poison spread throughout the apartment over several days.

Rescue officials at the scene were shocked to discover that the chemical’s toxicity was the highest ever recorded in Israel; the exterminator has been arrested and an investigation has been launched.

Hospital spokeswoman Riva Shaked stated Wednesday night that they have been connected to an ECMO machine, which reproduces the functions of the heart and lungs. There is no antidote for this particular poison, making oxygen and fluid treatments critical for their survival.

Medics rushed to the Gross family’s Givat Mordehai apartment Wednesday, after an emergency call was made for Yael, who fell unconscious.

“When I went into the apartment I saw an unconscious 4-year-old girl lying on the floor in the room, not breathing and with no pulse,” described Magen David Adom (MDA) medic Shmulik David. “We immediately started giving medical treatment and advanced resuscitation, as other MDA forces arrived.”

“In the adjacent room another member of the family called us, saying there were other children that felt unwell; we spread out and…found in the next room a 2-year-old baby girl in semi-consciousness, whose condition deteriorated quickly,” adds David.

Update: Cautious Optimism?

From The Yeshiva World News: 

Schneider Children’s Hospital Deputy Medical Director Dr. Efrat Baron-Harlev told the Kol Berama Radio afternoon news program that while the Gross children are in very serious/unstable condition, there is room for cautious optimism.

The senior physician explained that Chaim Michael Shlomo and Refael Yitzchak Isaac, 5 and 7, were seriously injured by the pesticide, which has severely compromised the function of vital bodily organs.

Despite all of this, she points out that children have a better chance of survival than adults, but admits the situation at present is a most difficult one as their hearts, lungs, and kidneys were affected.

Family members are calling on Am Yisrael to pray and say Tehilim for them: Chaim Michael Shlomo ben Michal and Refael Yitzchak Isaac ben Michal.