Man shot dead in northern Bedouin town in suspected gangland slaying

Resident of Tuba-Zangariyye killed in car; police say incident related to ongoing feud between rival groups; 34 members of Arab community killed since beginning of year

By ToI Staff 16 March 2023, 11:57 am Edit
Screen capture from video of the scene where a man was shot dead in the northern Bedouin town of Tuba-Zangariyye, March 16, 2023. (Twitter. Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Screen capture from video of the scene where a man was shot dead in the northern Bedouin town of Tuba-Zangariyye, March 16, 2023. (Twitter. Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

A man was shot dead Thursday in the northern Bedouin town of Tuba-Zangariyye in what the Israel Police said was an incident tied to feuding organized crime groups.

The man, 48, a resident of the town, was killed in a car as it was apparently being driven. An image shared on social media showed the bullet-ridden vehicle in a ditch at the side of the highway.

It was the 34th killing in the Arab community since the beginning of the year, according to the Abraham Initiatives nonprofit, which campaigns against violence in the community.

A video of the scene showed a group of people apparently carrying someone from the side of the road to a waiting car. In the background, another car can be seen on fire.

Social media reports said the burning vehicle was used by the shooter and that it was then destroyed by an explosive device.

Police opened an investigation into the killing.

The Tuba-Zangariyye shooting came hours after a man was shot dead in the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem.

Mohammad al-Jofri, 34, was killed in another suspected organized crime slaying, Ynet reported. He was taken to Hadassah Medical Center in Mount Scopus where he died of his injuries. Shuafat is the only Palestinian refugee camp that lies within Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries.

On Sunday, Bayan Nassar Abbas, 29, was shot dead outside her home in the northern Arab town of Kafr Kanna. According to media reports, the victim was sitting with her children on her porch when she was shot.

Police said in a statement that two suspects were arrested on suspicion of involvement in Nassar’s shooting. They said the incident was related to an ongoing local conflict that has seen others convicted and given long prison sentences.

Arab communities have seen a rising wave of violence in recent years. 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.

The Abraham Initiatives said that 31 Arab Israeli citizens have been killed in crime-related deaths so far in 2023, along with another three Arabs who are not citizens. Of those, 33 were shot to death.

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