A man was shot dead on Monday in Abu Snan, an Arab village near the northern town of Kafr Yasif, marking the 130th violent killing in the community this year.
The man, identified as Tamer Ibriq, 37, was immediately transported to Galilee Medical Center in the nearby city of Nahariya, with critical head injuries. He died shortly afterwards, according to the Arab48 news website.
The police opened an investigation into the circumstances of the shooting, and said that the crime scene was closed while a forensic team was collecting evidence. No suspects have been arrested so far.
According to anti-violence monitor the Abraham Initiative, the killings brought to 130 the number of Arab residents who have died in violent crime since the beginning of the year. The total for 2022 was 116. In the same period last year, 60 Israeli Arabs were killed.
The killings in the Arab society in Israel have increased in recent years, and they hold the Arab community hostage to organized crime gangs. There is a growing sense of impunity for violent crimes, mainly related to extortion and loan sharks, as well as score-fixing between gangs.
The scourge, according to multiple sources, is multifaceted and includes many national and societal problems, including the level of determination of the government and the police; official neglect of the Arab community; lack of access to banking services; shortfalls in police manpower; and, somewhat ironically, the weakening of some major criminal organizations which has enabled smaller gangs to emerge.
Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.
