Israeli-Arab murder spate continues – Three men shot dead hours apart

In a third incident in 24 hours, a 26-year-old male from Jaljulya was shot to death in Kafr Kassem on Saturday night, Israeli media reported.He was evacuated to the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson and was declared dead at the hospital.

The incident is a third in a series of murder cases in the Arab-Israeli sector over the past 24 hours. The police suspect that the victim died during a gunfight, and the circumstances of his death are criminal.

Obrahim Nasr abu-Omra (30) from Tel Sheva was shot to death close to his home overnight on Friday. A few hours later, 18-year-old Anas al-Wahwah was shot dead in Lod.

Al-Wahwah was shot in the head on Saturday while sitting in his car on Jerusalem Boulevard in Lod. He was evacuated in critical condition to the Shamir Medical Center and died soon after, as the seemingly endless string of homicides in the Israeli Arab community continues.

Large police forces from the Lod police station led by Superintendent Doron Golan arrived at the scene and began to investigate the murder.

“At about noon a shooting adjacent to the local market was reported. We arrived at the scene and found the teen in his car and suffering from gunshot wounds. We have begun an investigation, as it seems that the motive was criminal,” Golan said.

The murder reportedly occurred due to an ongoing feud between al-Wahwah’s family and other families in Lod, according to initial police findings.

“The scene was chaotic,” MDA paramedics Sapir Iluz and Tomer Grossman said “The teen was suffering from a gunshot wound, bleeding profusely and unconscious. We administered initial medical treatment on the scene in order to stop the bleeding and dress the wound. We put him into an intensive care ambulance and evacuated him to the hospital in critical condition,” they said.

During the night, abu-Omra was brought by town members to Soroka University Medical Center, suffering from a number of gunshot wounds after being close to his home. He was pronounced dead in the hospital. The circumstances of the shooting are unclear at this time.

“Just today two youngsters in their 20s [sic] lost their lives,” the Committee of Arab Local Authorities in Israel said in a statement.

“Once again we discovered that Israel is partly a state of law and partly a Wild West,” it said. “The Negev and mixed [Jewish and Arab] cities have become battlegrounds that require a solution and focused treatment. We are demanding that the police chief give an immediate explanation on how the police intend to combat the waves of violence; our blood will no longer be shed freely.”

Over 70 Israeli Arabs have been killed in crime-related incidents since the beginning of the year, including prominent New Hope member Ismail Saher on August 15.