Israel Police says one of its officers was killed in a traffic accident last night in the north, after Israel marked its deadliest year on the roads in two decades.
First Sgt. Antoine Yousef Shehadeh, a 35-year-old policeman from the northern Arab town of Kafr Yasif, was struck by a car last night south of Haifa.
Police announce his death with “great sorrow and grief,” noting that he was killed while on duty. The officer leaves behind a wife and two children.
Shehadeh started out in law enforcement in 2014 as a police detective in the West Bank. He most recently served as a log-keeper in the Nesher police station, located in the Coastal District, which encompasses Haifa and its environs.
Police have been struggling to enforce road safety laws amid high turnover in the force’s traffic division and inaction on the part of elected officials. Last year was the most fatal year on the road since 2005, with 443 people killed in traffic-related incidents over the course of 2025.
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 19, 2026
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