17-year-old boy stabbed to death by classmate at school

A 17-year-old boy was fatally stabbed by his classmate during a school brawl in the Arab city of Kafr Qara on Monday, police and paramedics said.

The victim, named by Hebrew outlets as Muhammad Marzouk, sustained life-threatening injuries and was taken to Hadera’s Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in critical condition.

Paramedics attempted to resuscitate him on the way to the hospital, but he succumbed to his wounds.

Police dispatched to the scene of the stabbing detained the suspected assailant, reportedly a 16-year-old student. He was interrogated in the police station and officers were expected to bring him to court in the afternoon for an extension on his remand.

“The investigation into the incident, including how the knife was brought onto school grounds and the circumstances of the brawl, is ongoing,” police said in a statement. The probe is being conducted by the Coastal District’s investigations and intelligence unit.

Cdr. Roni Fares, head of the Menashe Region police, called on Kafr Qara’s political leadership to restore order to the city and calm down the situation.

The stabbing is the latest homicide in a violent crime wave that has beset Arab locales for several years.

Since the start of 2025, 211 Arab Israelis have been killed in violent criminal incidents. Most of these incidents are gang-related shootings, as opposed to stabbings.

Hours before Marzouk was killed, 18-year-old Qassem Asleh was shot dead while on his way to work in Arraba, a city in the lower Galilee. No arrests were reported in connection with the shooting.