North Israel Shootings: Three Arab Men Killed in 24 Hours
A prisoner headed to a work program was among the victims in a series of incidents that raised the annual homicide count to 197.
By Connor Murphy ·
A 37-year-old inmate was shot dead at a bus stop near the Sea of Galilee on Friday morning, marking the third fatal shooting of an Arab man in northern Israel within 24 hours. The victim, Eyal al-Heib, was a resident of Tuba-Zangariyye who had been serving an 18-year sentence for manslaughter convicted in 2015. The Israel Prison Service stated he was traveling to a rehabilitative factory for his day job when the attack occurred on Route 65. Medics from Magen David Adom pronounced him dead at the scene after a civilian attempted resuscitation.
The prior evening brought two additional killings in the north. In Tamra, 22-year-old Yousef Hamad was shot dead, while a second man suffered moderate wounds. In the nearby town of Baqa al-Gharbiya, 25-year-old Ahmad Jamal, a resident of Qalanswe, was killed. That attack left three other men seriously wounded and a fourth moderately hurt, according to medical responders. Police described these incidents as criminal in nature rather than motivated by nationalist tensions.
The violence extended to other parts of the country on Thursday. A 45-year-old man was seriously wounded in a shooting in Nazareth, and a 25-year-old man was seriously injured in a stabbing in Hadera. Police are currently investigating all the events, searching for suspects in the bus stop killing, and working to determine the cause of death for a woman in her 20s found with injuries in a Bedouin hamlet in the south. Her brother, who was killed in a separate car collision with a bus at Hatrurim Junction the same day, may or may not be connected to her death.
The Abraham Initiatives watchdog reported that these deaths bring the total number of confirmed Arab homicide victims this year to 197. That figure is down from 215 at the same point last year, although the group notes that annual rates have roughly doubled since National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir took office in late 2022. Last year recorded a total of 252 victims, the highest number on record. Arab citizens accounted for more than 80 percent of homicide victims in Israel, despite comprising roughly 20 percent of the population.
The watchdog has criticized Ben Gvir for neglecting the rising violence and dismantling programs aimed at confronting the crime wave. In response, Ben Gvir and his party rejected the accusations, citing increased police action as evidence of their efforts.
