Mother Allegedly Starves 2-Year-Old Daughter To Weight Of Newborn; Arrested

Police have arrested a woman suspected of starving her two-year-old daughter to the weight of a newborn. According to doctors, this is "one of the worst" abuse cases seen in recent years.

Doctors said the underweight child was brought to a hospital in Tel Aviv after suffering from spasms, reported Times Of Israel. The child wasn't gaining weight despite being in hospital for several weeks and fed via food tube, they added.

It was then that the workers decided to monitor the mother. To their shock, they observed her disconnecting the toddler from the nasogastric tube used to feed her. Hospital staff immediately alerted the police, who seized various drugs from the mother. She had allegedly been giving these drugs to the child.

"This is the worst abuse case we’ve experienced in recent years at the hospital," Dr. Ayelet Rimon, head of pediatric emergency medicine at Ichilov, told The Times Of Israel. "The girl still weighs like a newborn. We don’t know what future damage she may suffer. And, I only hope that she will succeed in recovering and that she will remain without any long-term harm. Now, all of us at 'Dana' hope to see quick improvement in the child, and we hope that from today, she will receive only the most dedicated, personal, loving, and compassionate care, both in the hospital and after her release," he added.

The child is now recovering and has begun to gain weight. The seizures she suffered from and the incessant vomiting have also stopped.

The woman was arrested on Wednesday and an investigation into the incident has been launched.

The Israel Police reportedly have in possession the videos showing the mother touching the girl's feeding tube for no reason.

"Israel Police has opened an investigation on suspicion of neglect and abuse of a helpless individual after a report was received from the hospital regarding a young child who was hospitalized due to seizures. According to reports, the hospital staff noticed unusual behavior on the part of the mother, and she was observed via cameras," Israel Police said in a statement.

Meanwhile, during the remand hearing held Thursday, a police official reportedly told the judge that there is a suspicion that the child was a victim of Munchausen syndrome. Those with the syndrome are said to create a medical problem or the appearance of one in another person to gain attention.