Three brothers shot dead as illegal weapons deal goes bad in south

Three men in their 20s were shot dead overnight Wednesday near the southern Bedouin town of Segev Shalom, with reports identifying the slain trio as brothers Sakr, Suleiman, and Musab al-Qadi Tarabin.

Police said the brothers were shot when an illegal weapons deal fell apart and turned violent.

Paramedics declared two of the brothers dead at the scene of the shooting, while the third was declared dead after being rushed to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

Police launched an investigation into the triple homicide, citing initial findings that it was linked to organized crime.

Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy held a situation assessment about the shooting.

“Again, we are witnesses to an incident in which an unsuccessful weapons deal led to the despicable murder of three brothers,” Levy said in a statement.

The head of the Segev Shalom local council, Qayed Abu Ma’amar, told Kan that the incident was not typical of the community.

“I hope the police will lay their hands on those who carried out this terrible crime,” he said.

Ma’amar described the victims’ family as “law-abiding, with no feuds with anyone.”

The anti-violence Abraham Initiatives said that 185 members of the Arab community have been killed since the beginning of the year. That compared to 171 during the same period last year, indicating an eight percent rise in the homicide rate.

The shooting came hours after a 26-year-old woman was shot and killed in front of her young son and teenage sister in Ramle.

Wafa Abu Janam’s husband and mother-in-law were reportedly among the three people arrested on suspicion of involvement.

The two children — the victim’s 4-year-old son and her 14-year-old sister — were moderately injured by the gunfire and taken to the hospital.

Earlier Wednesday, a 19-year-old man was stabbed and killed in Haifa. Police said they have opened an investigation into the killing of Muhammad Morad. There have been no arrests.

The Abraham Initiatives has called on National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to resign over the soaring murder rate plaguing Arab society.

The organization accused the government, specifically Ben Gvir and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of having “failed miserably in dealing with crime in Arab society.”

“In any civilized country, the person in charge of dealing with such a failed phenomenon would immediately resign,” the organization said earlier this month.

The annual number of Arab murder victims doubled in 2023, coinciding with the beginning of Ben Gvir’s term as national security minister. Local Arab politicians have often placed blame on police for failing to solve Arab sector murders, contributing to a lack of deterrence against violent crime.