Man shot dead in north amid deadly crimewave in Arab community

A man was shot dead early Wednesday in the northern town of Kafr Qara, the second homicide to hit Israel’s Arab community over the past day.

The victim was identified as Ala Kanana, 30, a resident of Kafr Qara.

Police launched an investigation into the shooting, saying officers were searching for suspects and gathering evidence from the scene.

Kanana was hit by gunfire while heading home from work, causing him to crash into a tree, according to the Ynet news site.

Paramedics pronounced his death at the scene.

According to the Abraham Initiatives anti-violence monitor, Kanana was the 118th Arab resident of Israel killed in a homicide this year.

On Tuesday, the killing of a dentist outside his home in the northern town of Jatt this year’s death above the 2022 total in just under half the time.

#فوضى #لواء #الساحل #כאוס #במחוז #חוף مقتل الشاب علاء كناعنة بعد تعرضه لإطلاق نار خلال توجهه الى العمل▪︎נקבע מותו של הצעיר עלא כנאענה מכפר קרע כשהיה בדרך לעבודה. pic.twitter.com/ng32uVCl5k

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— |فرات نصار|פוראת נסאר|FURAT NASSAR (@nassar_furat) July 12, 2023

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right lawmaker who campaigned on promises to beef up public safety, has largely stayed quiet on the soaring crimewave.

Many community leaders blame the police, who they say have failed to crack down on powerful criminal organizations and largely ignore the violence. They also point to decades of neglect and discrimination by government offices as the primary cause of the problem.