5 suspects, including teen, indicted in deadly shooting in north caught on camera

Police on Friday said charges will be filed against five individuals suspected of shooting and killing a young Arab Israeli man on a street in northern Israel over three months ago.

Wael Saeida, 22, was fatally struck by a stray bullet outside a bakery in his hometown of Umm al-Ghanem on February 23. He had left his house to buy bread after breaking his Ramadan fast that night.

Footage of the shooting showed a car stopping in the middle of the street before a black-clad assailant disembarked with an assault rifle, opening fire on the bakery. According to the Ynet news site, the shooter was 16 years old.

Saeida was critically injured by the gunfire and taken to the hospital by paramedics, where doctors were later forced to pronounce him dead.

According to police, the shooting was linked to a brawl that began at a high school in Shibli, a town just north of Umm al-Ghanem. One of the students, an 18-year-old, allegedly stabbed three other boys. Police note that an indictment has been filed against him.

Three weeks later, Saeida was shot and killed outside the bakery. Police said the incident was part of a spate of shootings targeting businesses owned by a relative of one of the students involved in the brawl.

An assailant opens fire on a bakery in Umm al-Ghanem, leading to the death of 22-year-old Wael Saeida by a stray bullet on February 23, 2026. (Israel Police)

The five suspects include both minors and adults. They will be indicted in the Nazareth District Court on Sunday next week, police said.

Saeida was the 56th member of the Arab minority in Israel to be killed in 2026. According to the Abraham Initiatives crime watchdog, 105 Arab Israelis have been killed since the beginning of the year, as of Thursday.

ضحية جريمة القتل في أم الغنم، الشاب وائل يوسف كحيلي (طحيمر) وبلغ من العمر 21 عاما.

للتفاصيل: https://t.co/lyet4j9ELo pic.twitter.com/8gXMjItSE7

— موقع عرب 48 (@arab48website) February 23, 2026

The soaring death toll follows the deadliest year on record for Arab Israelis, in which 252 were killed in criminal incidents. 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.