Man shot in Nazareth succumbs to wounds in Arab community’s 25th homicide of 2026

A 34-year-old man was shot and killed in Nazareth on Thursday, in an apparent homicide that left his vehicle riddled with bullet-holes.

Police said they launched an investigation into the shooting. No suspects have been arrested.

The victim was named by the Ynet news site as 34-year-old Mosab Abu Johar, a resident of nearby Yafia.

In the morning, unknown assailants reportedly fired dozens of shots at the car Johar was driving. Wounded, he was rushed to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Witnesses told the Ynet news site that Johar was driving to work with other colleagues and when they stopped at a bakery to eat on the way, gunmen opened fire at their vehicle.

While Johar was from the same neighborhood of Yafia where a vehicle was torched hours earlier, a relative of his told Ynet that neither he nor the bakery were tied to that incident.

Since the start of the year, 25 Arab citizens of Israel, close to one per day, have been killed in violent circumstances. Last year was the community’s deadliest to date, with a total of 252 killed in crime-related incidents.

The homicide rate in Arab society doubled in 2023, coinciding with the start of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s tenure, and has continued apace since.

Daily protests demanding police rein in the violence have been taking place since last week, as frustration mounts over the issue.

A mass rally is scheduled to take place on Saturday in Tel Aviv.