Tel Sheva man shot dead at campsite in south, 115th Arab community killing this year
Relative of Musa Alasem also seriously hurt in apparent criminal shooting, near border with Gaza Strip
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A man from the southern Bedouin town of Tel Sheva was shot dead while at a campsite with his family near the border with the Gaza Strip early Saturday morning, police and medics said.
According to police, gunfire was directed at Musa Alasem and his extended family at the Re’im Parking Lot, a campsite close to several nature reserves on the Gaza border, shortly after midnight.
Alasem, 27, and another man, 23, were brought by their family in a car to the main highway near the community of Rei’m, where they met up with military medics and the Magen David Adom ambulance service.
MDA said Alasem was declared dead at the scene, and the second man was taken to Beersheba’s Soroka hospital in moderate-to-serious condition.
Police said that from a preliminary investigation of the shooting, it appeared to be criminal in nature.
Arab communities across the country have seen a surge in violence in recent years. The past week alone has seen a spike in deadly shootings.
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.
According to the Abraham Initiatives, a group campaigning against violence in the Arab community, Alasem’s death marked the 115th Arab to have been killed in crime-related incidents in Israel since the beginning of the year.
The Times of Israel Community.