Parents and teen daughter killed in drive-by shooting near northern Arab town
Another 9-year-old girl also wounded in attack on Ramle family who recently moved to Galilee region; separate overnight shooting targets Route 90 restaurant; woman killed in Arara
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A man and a woman were killed along with their teenage daughter in a drive-by shooting in northern Israel near the Arab town of Ailabun on Saturday afternoon.
A 9-year-old girl was also moderately wounded in the attack.
Yousef Jaroushi, 58, his 46-year-old wife Nawal, and their 16-year-old daughter Rayan were found shot dead in a vehicle near the Ailabun Junction.
A 9-year-old girl was found by medics nearby, suffering from gunshot wounds.
Magen David Adom medics on the scene declared the deaths of the parents and the 16-year-old.
The 9-year-old was taken to the Poriya Medical Center in Tiberias, where she was said to be in moderate condition.
According to the Haaretz daily, the victims are all members of the same family from Ramle, who had moved to live in the northern town of Deir Hanna in the last month.
Police said the motive was likely criminal-related.
A burnt-out vehicle with a Kalashnikov rifle was found near the scene of the shooting, according to the Kan public broadcaster.
The outlet, citing a source involved in the investigation, said the shooting was a planned ambush against the Ramle family.
Public Security Minister Omer Barlev said “there is no time to waste,” and that the government must formulate a plan to curb the violence in Israel’s Arab community.
“The shootings and murders are just the tip of the iceberg… Comprehensive solutions that pertain to many areas are required,” Barlev said.
Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas said the shooting was “upsetting and shameful” since the “criminals don’t differentiate between their targets and family members.”
“Unfortunately, this is the reality,” Abbas said in a Saturday interview with Channel 12 news. He added that the government, which he is part of, will move forward with implementing plans to curb the violence.
Joint List leader MK Ayman Odeh described the killings as “heartbreaking.”
“Three more lives were lost, another family was torn to pieces and another girl was orphaned. How much more is possible?” Odeh tweeted. “We must not wait for the next victim. We need an immediate plan to eradicate crime.”
The National Committee of the Heads of the Arab Local Authorities called on the government to take action on the matter of violence in Arab communities.
“Again the lawlessness is rampant and, once again, weapons in the hands of criminals cost human lives. The new government must bring justice and stop the madness immediately,” the statement read.
The killing of the family came hours after shots were fired toward a restaurant near Mahanayim Junction in northern Israel, causing substantial damage.
Some 50 bullets, fired from an automatic weapon, hit the “Route 90” restaurant shattering its windows, during the early hours of Saturday morning. Employees who were present during the attack were unharmed. Police said it was investigating, but could not yet determine the motive.
“There were still waiters and cooks in the restaurant who had finished cleaning. We don’t know what to think, no criminal has contacted us,” one of the owners told Channel 12 news, as police are said to be looking into the possibility of a local criminal gang demanding protection money from the restaurant owners.
According to the Ynet news site, the deadly shooting of the family near Ailabun marks 53 Arabs who have died violently in Israel since the beginning of 2021.
The most recent previous killing was on Thursday, when 49-year-old Najah Abu Ara’ar was shot dead amid an altercation in the southern Bedouin town of Arara. She was uninvolved in the dispute, according to local witnesses.
Abu Ara’ar left her home after she heard shooting nearby, and was immediately struck by bullets as the skirmish escalated into gunfire. Her family took her to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, where doctors declared her dead.
Ending the spread of violence and organized crime is a major priority for Arab Israelis. In 2020, 96 Arab Israelis were killed, by far the highest annual toll in recent memory.
