Arab man shot dead in Haifa, the 95th victim of communal violence this year

Mehran Mugrabi run over and then shot by his killers Friday night

A 40-year-old Arab man was shot dead on a Haifa street on Friday night, the latest victim of rampant violence in Arab society.

Mehran Mugrabi was run over and then shot by his killers, according to security cam footage of the attack. He was rushed to hospital in serious condition and later died of his injuries.

Police have launched an investigation into the attack, but Channel 12 news noted that five murders in the city in recent months have gone unsolved.

Mugrabi, a married man and a father, was the 95th apparent homicide victim in Arab society in 2021, according to a tally by the Abraham Initiatives nonprofit.

Violent crime has risen to record levels in Arab communities in recent years, and the 2021 rate is shaping up to be a potential record-breaker in homicide deaths.

Last year, 96 Arabs were killed in communal violence.

Authorities have vowed to devote more resources to battle crime in Arab locales, after a series of recent shootings triggered the online #Arab_Lives_Matter campaign to protest the alleged lack of police action.

According to a 2020 Knesset report, some 400,000 illegal weapons are circulating in Israel, the vast majority in Arab communities.