Man shot dead in Shefaram in apparent 5th murder of the day

A 23-year-old man is shot and killed in the northern town of Shefaram medics say. The killing is the fifth in Israel today and the fourth among the Arab community.

The Magen David Adom rescue service say they found the man with gunshot wounds and were forced to declare him dead at the scene.

There was no immediate comment from police amid a deadly crime wave that shows no signs of abating.

Earlier a 26-year-old man was shot and killed and a second person critically wounded in a shooting in the southern town of Tel Sheva.

A man was shot dead in Nazareth, another man was fatally stabbed in Holon, and hours later another man was shot dead close to the city of Qalansawe in the center of the country.

The crime wave has been particularly deadly for the country’s Arab community. Many blame the police, who they say have failed to crack down on powerful criminal organizations and largely ignore the violence, which includes family feuds, mafia turf wars and violence against women.

According to The Abraham Initiatives, a group that campaigns against violence, the Shefaram killing brings to 69 the number of members of the Arab community killed in violent circumstances since the beginning of the year. The watchdog says 59 of them were killed by gunfire.