Man shot dead in central town of Tira as Arab community crime wave continues unabated
Victim, named as Sabri Mazen Mardi, 24, shot by unknown assailant in early morning, a month before he was due to get married; no arrests made
A 24-year-old man was shot and killed in the central town of Tira early Monday morning, police announced, as the wave of violent crime in Arab society continues to rage.
The victim, named as Sabri Mazen Mardi, was shot by an unknown assailant and pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.
According to the Ynet news site, the man was killed a month before he was set to get married.
Police said they were investigating the killing but have not made any arrests.
The vast majority of murder cases in the Arab community are unsolved by law enforcement, with many community leaders criticizing police for not doing enough to deter violent crime in Arab locales.
With Mardi’s murder, a total of 77 Arabs have been killed in violent criminal incidents since the start of the year.
????♦️ הנרצח בטירה הוא סאברי מאזן מרדני מהעיר טירה. pic.twitter.com/C9Q9ZMSsSO
— Asslan Khalil (@KhalilAsslan) April 21, 2025
The past few years have seen a massive uptick of violent crime in Arab society, which claimed over 200 lives annually in both 2023 and 2024.
Many community leaders blame the spiraling violence on police neglect, pointing to law enforcement’s limited success in solving Arab murder cases, which involve family feuds, mafia turf wars, and violence against women.
In an annual report, the Abraham Initiatives watchdog estimated that law enforcement solved just under 15 percent of murder cases last year.
Since National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir took office in 2023, the coexistence group has recorded a sharp uptick in Arab homicides.
Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy announced Sunday that next month the police plan to launch a “long-term strategic plan” to combat crime in Arab society.
“We are conducting a determined and consistent fight against crime, with an emphasis on crime in Arab society. We will destroy this monster… it is our commitment to the Arab sector,” Levy said, but did not elaborate on how the police plan to reduce the wave of violent crime.
The Times of Israel Community.