Two killed by explosive device in car on road near Beersheba
Vehicle veers off Route 40; passengers declared dead at scene; police say fire caused by bomb, incident tied to organized crime; man stabbed to death in Ashkelon
Two people were killed Monday when their car went up in flames on Route 40 near Beersheba, in what police suspect was a double homicide amid a deadly crime wave that has swept Israel in recent months.
The car veered off the southern highway, police said. Images from the scene showed the car badly damaged.
Police said in a statement that a blast was caused by an explosive device in the car and that the incident was tied to criminal activity. The force did not say if the car was targeted or if the occupants were transporting the device.
Police sappers and forensic teams were called to the scene to collect evidence.
The two passengers were pronounced dead at the scene by medics. Their identities were not immediately released.
Hebrew media reported that police believe the burnt car belonged to a figure known to law enforcement.
The Magen David Adom emergency service said medics found the two people with severe burns and no vital signs.
Hours later, a man in his 40s was stabbed to death in the southern port city of Ashkelon. The force did not say if it was connected to the blown-up car.
The man was initially taken to a hospital in critical condition, but doctors declared him dead. No suspects were immediately detained as an investigation got underway.
Last week, a man was killed in a car explosion in Afula, in northern Israel. The same day, a woman was found dead in an apartment in Haifa — both were believed to be victims of organized crime violence.
On Sunday, a man was found dead in Ramle in a suspected homicide police believe was connected to a criminal blood feud.
Israel’s Arab society has suffered the brunt of the spiraling wave of violent crime, which has significantly worsened in the past three years.
Many in Israel accuse National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir of allowing crime to fester in Arab communities, arguing that police under the far-right politician’s oversight have neglected enforcement in Arab towns. The minister took office at the end of 2022. In 2023, his first full year in office, homicides in Arab society soared to over 240 — more than double the toll in 2022, which at the time had been the bloodiest year on record.
Under Ben Gvir’s guidance, critics charge, police have done little to curb organized crime.