Two men shot dead overnight in northern Arab towns; no arrests reported

Two men were shot dead within two hours in the northern Arab towns of Deir Hanna and Umm al-Fahm early on Sunday, according to first responders.

Police said they were investigating the crimes. No arrests have been reported.

In Deir Hanna, near Sakhnin, medics found a roughly 50-year-old man unconscious in his car with gunshot wounds, and pronounced him dead on the scene, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said.

In Umm al-Fahm, medics later also found two men aged roughly 30 and 38 in a car with gunshot wounds, MDA said.

The younger man was pronounced dead on the spot while the other was taken in moderate condition to the Haemek Hospital in Afula, according to MDA.

The slain men were not immediately identified in media reports.

There have been at least 150 Arab homicide victims in Israel in 2026, a 17% rise over the same period in 2025, which was the bloodiest year on record in the Arab community, according to the Abraham Initiatives coexistence watchdog.

The watchdog has accused National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees police, of gutting programs meant to curb violence in the Arab community.

His first full year in office, 2023, was at the time the bloodiest year on record in the Arab community, with the number of Arab homicide victims soaring to 244, more than double over the previous year, according to the watchdog.

The numbers have since climbed, with the Abraham Initiatives reporting 252 victims in 2025.