Three killed in separate criminal shootings across country, Israel Police says

A spike in violence left three people dead in separate incidents across Israel. Authorities are investigating links to organized crime and family disputes.

Three men were shot and killed in separate incidents across Israel on Thursday, in what police believe were criminally motivated attacks.

In the first incident, police from the Nesher station opened an investigation following reports of gunfire directed at Ala Sharuf, a man in his 50s from the village of Usfiya. Medical teams who arrived at the scene pronounced him dead.

Officers responded quickly, collecting evidence with forensic investigators and establishing checkpoints in the area in an attempt to locate suspects. Police said the background to the shooting appeared to be criminal. The circumstances are still under investigation.

Shortly afterward,Magen David Adom reported that medics and paramedics found two men in their 20s near Nachsholim on the Coastal Highway. Both victims had suffered penetrating wounds and were found without a pulse or respiration. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

The victims were later identified as Muhammad Gourban and Imad Amash, residents of Jisr al-Zarqa.

Rise in arab community homicides sparks concern amid crime wave

According to the Abraham Initiatives, 176 people have been murdered in the Arab community since the start of the year. This represents a 14 percent increase over the same period last year, when 154 deaths were recorded.

Earlier in the day, a woman in her 20s was found dead in an open area in the Bedouin diaspora near Rahat. Police forces from the Rahat station arrived quickly and launched an investigation. Police suspect the killing may be linked to a family dispute.

A preliminary police inquiry revealed that the victim’s sister had contacted authorities earlier to warn that someone intended to kill her and her sister. The two women had left their home, reportedly on their way to a mourning visit, while a patrol car was already en route.

A minute later, a second emergency call was received reporting a shooting, and a masked man was seen fleeing the scene on foot. Police arrived shortly thereafter and found the victim’s body. Officers arrested several of the woman’s brothers on suspicion of involvement in the killing.