Two men shot dead within hours in separate killings in central Arab cities

Two men were shot dead Friday in separate incidents in the central Arab cities of Tira and Qalansawe, as family members of the victims decried the lack of police action against the raging violent crime wave in their communities.

Paramedics arrived at the scene of the afternoon shooting in Qalansawe and took Hashem Natur, who was critically wounded, to Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba while attempting to resuscitate him, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said in a statement.

Natur, 63, was declared dead by doctors upon arrival, police said.

Natur’s son, Mohammad, was killed in May 2023 in Qalansawe during a wave of homicides.

Hours later, paramedics took Iham Nasser, 25, who was critically wounded in a shooting in Tira on Friday evening, to the same hospital, where police said he was also declared dead upon arrival.

Police said they opened investigations into both shootings.

Family members who spoke to the Walla news site said they felt helpless, lacked faith in the police, and lived in constant fear for their lives.

A relative of Natur’s asked who was “next in line” after both son and father were killed.

“Who else is waiting? Who can we talk to? We have been left alone in this world,” he said, asserting that the two had no connection to criminals.

“But here, it’s enough that you know the wrong person, and you are in danger. Once, we were a complete family. Now we are a family in constant mourning,” he added. “The police don’t do anything.”

A cousin of Iham Nasser’s told Walla that he was constantly on edge due to the ever-present danger in his community.

“I don’t sleep. Every sound makes me jump. I sleep with clothes on, prepared to escape if they get to me. The police tell us to be cautious, but how is that possible? Do I need to hide in my house my entire life?”

Since the start of 2025, 48 Arab Israelis have been killed in violent criminal incidents, according to the Abraham Initiatives coexistence group.

The past few years have seen a massive uptick of violent crime in Arab society, which claimed over 200 lives annually in both 2023 and 2024.

Many community leaders blame the spiraling violence on police neglect, pointing to law enforcement’s limited success in solving Arab sector murder cases, which involve family feuds, mafia turf wars, and violence against women.

In an annual report, the Abraham Initiatives estimated that last year, law enforcement solved just under 15 percent of murder cases.