An Arab family from the Jerusalem area visited relatives last week in Yericho to celebrate Eid al-Fitr (“Festival of Breaking the Fast”), the holiday marking the end of Ramadan.

Unfortunately, their visit ended in a heartbreaking tragedy when the family discovered their daughter – almost three – unconscious in their relatives’ private pool, Chareidim10 reported.

The toddler, who was in the pool for about 10 minutes before being discovered, couldn’t be revived by emergency services and they were forced to pronounce her death.

The family turned to ZAKA when the police insisted on an autopsy.

“The family turned to ZAKA in a request for assistance in preventing an autopsy and preventing disgrace to the dead since there was no suspicion of criminal activity,” said Michoel Gutwin, coordinator of the ZAKA legal department.

“As a voluntary organization that operates without differentiation to religion, race and gender, the legal department worked today [Wednesday] upon the family’s request to prevent and help maintain kavod ha’meis.”

On Wednesday afternoon, investigators from the Ma’aleh Adumim police station filed a request to the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court in Jerusalem to have an autopsy carried out at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.

The Magistrate’s Court rejected the request of the police and ordered that the body of the deceased be immediately released for burial.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)