4 injured after drone-dropped grenade hits house amid gunfight in northern Arab town

Four people were injured Saturday evening after a grenade was set off in a house in Kafr Kanna, amid a larger gunfight that erupted after dark on the streets of the northern Arab town.

The grenade was allegedly launched from a drone that had been hovering in the area, ripping a hole through the ceiling and injuring those inside the building.

One of the wounded, a man in his 30s, was in serious condition, according to Magen David Adom emergency service, which added that an elderly man, a middle-aged woman and a young woman had all suffered moderate injuries. Paramedics took all four to the hospital, the ambulance service said.

The shootout took place between young men of the Awawdeh and Taha families, which have been warring for some time despite efforts to make amends. Immediately after the violence, the head of the town’s reconciliation committee convened elders from both families and pressed them to agree to a truce, which they managed to reach within the hour.

The committee was further pushing for them to reach a final ‘sulha,’ the Arabic word for reconciliation, meaning the families would no longer be in conflict with one another.

In footage from Saturday night, masked men were seen armed with assault rifles roaming the streets of the town, shooting at shops and homes in the city.

תדליקו את הסאונד ותקלטו: זה מה שהולך בכפר כנא שבצפון. מאתמול ועד היום ירי של צרורות צרורות ללא הפסקה וארגוני פשיעה שמפילים רימונים מרחפנים. יש פצועים ועשרות אלפי תושבים מפוחדים שמתבצרים בבתים. והמשטרה? למרות שיש תחנת משטרה בעיר עצמה, אין שוטר אחד בסביבה, אין מעצרים, אין שליטה. pic.twitter.com/2rlAVNPuRu

— Alon-Lee Green – ألون-لي جرين – אלון-לי גרין ???? (@AlonLeeGreen) February 21, 2026

One of those targeted was the town’s former mayor, Yousef Awawdeh, who said that gunmen had fired at his house while his wife and kids were present.

“For the dignity of Ramadan and my people, I declare that I forgive the attacker,” Awawdeh wrote on Facebook, urging an end to the violent crime that has been plaguing Arab society at unprecedented levels in recent months.

In honor of Ramadan, reconciliation committees in Arab cities and towns throughout the country have been attempting to pressure warring families into entering monthlong truces, in hopes of using the Muslim holy month as a way to curb rampant violence in the community.

Police said that they deployed large forces to the area after the gunfire broke out. No arrests were reported.

מצב חירום בכפר כנא בגליל ירי בכל מקום ורחפנים מתפוצצים בתוך הבתים ובת 18 פצועה קשה גם בת 40 . בן 80 פצוע בינוני עם פציעות חודרות .
תוהו ובהו בכפר כנא . המצב יצא משליטה והתושבים בורחים מהבתים למסגדים… pic.twitter.com/7VuUDeFq9i

— כל החדשות בזמן אמת (@Saher_News_24_7) February 21, 2026

The violence in Kafr Kanna came two days after four people were shot and killed, including one by a police officer, in three separate incidents, bringing this year’s toll of Arab victims of crime-related incidents up to 55 within less than two months. The soaring death toll follows the deadliest year on record for Arab Israelis, in which 252 were killed in crime-related incidents over the course of 2025.

If homicides continue at their current pace, 2026 stands to be much deadlier for Israel’s Arab minority than the preceding year.

Local politicians and religious figures have denounced the crime sweeping their communities, but most place blame on law enforcement, accusing police of neglecting to solve homicides when the victims are Arab.

The spiraling homicide rate, which is largely fueled by mafia-style organized crime, has recently been the focus of escalating protests. A major target of popular ire has been National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, with Arab Israelis insisting the far-right politician’s oversight of police has led to worsening neglect of Arab towns by law enforcement.