Taybeh shop owner killed in bombing, man shot dead in Lod as violent crime spikes
5 Israelis killed in criminal incidents over the past 24 hours
A 56-year-old man was killed Tuesday morning in a bombing attack targeting his business in Taybeh, an Arab city in central Israel.
The bomb detonated just as owner Refaat al-Bahri opened his shop for the day, killing him and injuring two others, who were taken to Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba.
Later in the morning, 32-year-old Abdallah Ali al-Wahwah was shot dead in Lod.
Paramedics found al-Wahwah in critical condition and transported him to hospital, but medical staff pronounced him dead upon arrival. He was the fifth person killed in a violent criminal incident since Monday morning.
Police opened investigations into the bombing and shooting incidents and said both were criminal rather than terror-related. Officers have not yet arrested suspects in either case.
Lod has been the site of two fatal shootings in the past 24 hours. On Monday, resident Ayoub al-Touri was killed in a shooting that police said was related to a dispute between two families in the city.
Fifty-six-year-old Salem Qasoum was shot dead earlier that same day on Route 781 near I’billin, an Arab town in the Galilee. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
On Monday night, 35-year-old watch dealer Tal Speizman was shot dead in north Tel Aviv by an assassin who police suspect fled the scene by motorcycle. Police suspect that Speizman had prior involvement with criminal organizations, Ynet reported.
First responders found the victim unconscious alongside another badly injured man.
A violent crime wave has engulfed the Arab community in recent years. Authorities have blamed burgeoning organized crime and the proliferation of weaponry, while some have pointed to a failure by communities to cooperate with law enforcement to root out criminals.
As of Tuesday morning, the Abraham Initiatives organization counted 38 Arab Israeli homicide victims since the start of 2025.
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 root cause of the problem. Some Israeli officials have noted a lack of cooperation with law enforcement by the Arab community in hunting down culprits.
