Herzog decries ‘national scourge’ of violent crime in Arab community, as 3 killed within hours

A man has been shot and killed in the Arab city of Kafr Qara, police and paramedics say.

The victim, 30-year-old barber Mahmoud Ghawi, is the third person to fall victim to homicide within hours this evening.

Paramedics declare his death just as President Isaac Herzog issues a rare statement on the violent crime wave in Arab society, saying that it has turned into a “national scourge.”

In his statement, Herzog mourns Adham and Nadim Nasser, a father and his teenage son ,who were shot and killed in Nazareth earlier this evening.

The victims resided in Tur’an, a village just north of Nazareth. They were killed while installing security cameras outside a home in the city, according to Hebrew reports.

Herzog further notes that within just five days since the start of 2026, six Arab citizens have fallen victim to violent crime, calling it a “chilling statistic.”

The recent homicide in Kafr Qara brings the number up to seven.

In 2025, Arab society experienced its deadliest year on record, with a total of 252 homicide victims.

Herzog says that the current reality is “not a decree of fate.”

He calls the fight against violent crime a “critical national mission” and says Israel must “strengthen enforcement, defeat criminal organizations, and restore to citizens — in Arab society and Israeli society as a whole — the right to live in security.”