30-year-old shot dead in Taybeh, becoming year's 97th Arab homicide victim

Second resident of central town moderately wounded outside local mosque, in incident that followed a car chase

A 30-year-old man was shot dead Monday evening in the central town of Taybeh, bringing the total number of Arabs killed in homicides this year to 97.

Another man in his 20s was moderately wounded in the shooting, which took place outside a local mosque and followed a car chase between two vehicles, according to the Arab48 news site.

Medics were called to the scene and rushed the injured pair to Meir Medical Center in nearby Kfar Saba, where doctors pronounced the death of the 30-year-old.

The victim was identified as Sanad Masarwah, a resident of Taybeh.

Police arrived at the crime scene and opened an investigation, but had yet to make any arrests. Indictments in such cases have been rare, leading many in Arab towns to lose faith in the police.

The incident took place hours after another shooting in the same town in which another young man was struck in the abdomen, apparently as a result of errant fire between rival gangs, Arab48 reported.

רצח בטיבה
לפני זמן קצר נורו שני צעירים בטיבה
אחד מותו נקבע במקום והשני פונה להמשך טיפול.
סנד יוסף מסארווה
בשנות העשרים לחיוו הוא הצעיר שנרצח ביריות לפני זמן קצר בעיר. pic.twitter.com/0YtYpt8BYJ

— Asslan Khalil (@KhalilAsslan) November 7, 2022

Of the 97 Arab civilians killed in homicides in Israel since the start of the calendar year, 82 were gun violence victims, 11 were women and 57 were under the age of 30, according to the Abraham Initiative monitoring group.

Arab communities have seen a surge in violence in recent years, amid a rise in organized crime and the proliferation of illegal weapons. Many blame the police, who they say have failed to crack down on powerful criminal organizations and family feuds.