Amman Today

publish date 2026-02-12 19:20:00

In incidents linked to organized crime, five people were killed in Arab cities in Israel within less than 24 hours, bringing the death toll as a result of this type of violence since the beginning of the year to at least 44.

Israeli police said it was in a “national emergency.”

Crime and violence are widespread in the Arab community in Israel, as a result of the spread of gangs that impose royalties on people in exchange for “protecting” their interests and businesses, for example, and then liquidate them when they are unable to pay.

Local media reported the killing of the young man Farid Abu Mubarak (20 years old) from the Bedouin town of Shaqib al-Salam in the Negev Desert on Thursday morning. This was preceded by the killing of Mukhtar Abu Madighim (22 years old) in the city of Rahat (south), the son of the former mayor of the city.

Najeeb Abu Rish from the Druze village of Yarka in northern Israel was also killed.

In the city of Lod, Magen David Adom (Ambulance) announced the death of a person in his fifties after being seriously injured as a result of gunfire. Media later identified him as Hussein Abu Raqiq (60 years old).

Late on Wednesday night, the killing of Muhammad Qasim (47 years old) from the village of Al-Furaidis near Haifa in the north was confirmed.

A statement by Israeli Police Commissioner Danny Levy included, “We are in a state of national emergency that requires a decisive war against crime with the participation of all ministries and local leadership.”

Levy stressed, “It is not permissible for innocent people to continue to fall victim to the conflicts of criminals.”

Levy called on local leaders and clerics to “condemn the violence,” and called on the courts and public prosecutors to “toughen penalties and submit prompt and effective indictments.”

The Israeli police announced in a statement that they had “begun investigations into murders that occurred in the past hours in Rahat, Yarka, Lod, and Shaqib al-Salam, in which five citizens were killed.”

The statement continued: “Extensive combing operations are also underway to reach the criminals and bring them to justice. We continue our efforts in combating crime in Arab society.”

Many Arabs in Israel accuse the police of failing to bring criminals to justice.

Since last month, the movement against crime that has been rampant in Arab society for years has escalated, with massive protest demonstrations organized, the largest of which began in the city of Sakhnin, in which tens of thousands participated. Demonstrations were also organized in many other areas, and a convoy of cars traveled from northern Israel to the Israeli government buildings in Jerusalem.

The year 2025 witnessed an unprecedented number of murders, with no less than 252 Arabs being killed.

Arabs constitute 21 percent of Israel’s population, and they are descended from Palestinians who remained on their lands when Israel was established in 1948.

France 24/AFP

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World News

Source 1 : https://www.france24.com/ar/الشرق-الأوسط/20260212-مقتل-خمسة-عرب-إسرائيليين-حوادث-الجريمة-المنظمة-المتصاعدة-المجتمع-العربي

Source 2 : ألدستور