Two more slain in Arab community, raising this week’s toll to nine

Two people were shot dead overnight Wednesday-Thursday in separate incidents amid a prolonged violent crime crisis in the Arab community that has claimed nine lives this week, four of them within 24 hours between Wednesday morning and Thursday morning.

One person was fatally shot in Haifa and another in the northern Arab town of Reineh. Police said the shootings were criminal cases and not linked to terrorist activity.

The violence began shortly after midnight when Israel Police and medics said an 18-year-old was shot dead and two others were seriously wounded in Haifa.

The victim was identified by Hebrew media as Christian Arab Haifa resident Jonathan Houri, 18.

The Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance service said that when they arrived at the site, they found three men with gunshot wounds, one of whom had no vital signs and was declared dead. The other two were taken in serious condition to the Ramban Medical Center. Another man who was lightly injured in the shooting made his own way to the hospital.

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The police district commander arrived at the scene of the shooting, and officers began gathering evidence and searching for suspects.

הנרצח בחנות בחיפה – ג'ונתן חורי בן ה-18.

הוא הצעיר שנרצח הלילה ביריות בחנות נוחות בשדרות ההגנה בכניסה לחיפה.

מלבדו נפצעו עוד שני צעירים באורח קשה, ואדם נוסף התפנה עצמאית ומצבו הוגדר קל. המשטרה סורקת אחר חשודים ומסרה כי מחקירה ראשונית עולה שהרקע פלילי. pic.twitter.com/S6X8alcAoN

— מה חדש. What's new❓ (@Gloz111) July 2, 2026

About three hours later, a man was shot dead in Reineh.

MDA said that when medics reached the victim, around age 30, he had no pulse and was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. They declared him dead at the scene.

The Ynet news site identified the man as Muhammad Zidan.

עוד רצח פשע הלילה : גבר נורה למוות בריינה,

גבר כבן 30 מוחמד עבד זידאן (בתמונה) נורה למוות במועצה המקומית ריינה שבאזור נצרת.

צוות מד"א קבע את מותו בזירה. המשטרה פתחה בחקירה ובסריקות אחר חשודים, הרקע פלילי. pic.twitter.com/4zsip9Tfty

— מה חדש. What's new❓ (@Gloz111) July 2, 2026

Three people were killed in Israel on Wednesday morning — a man in Shfaram, a man in Haifa, and a rabbi in Netanya who was allegedly killed by his student. So far, police have only arrested a suspect in the fatal stabbing of Rabbi Amos Guetta.

Before Wednesday, five other members of the Arab community were killed in violence this week. Some of the recent homicides are believed to be revenge killings for previous deaths.

According to figures from the Abraham Initiatives group, which tracks Arab sector homicides, 149 members of the community have been killed so far this year, after the minority saw its deadliest year on record in 2025, with 252 killed in violent circumstances.

The watchdog reported Wednesday that police have solved just 12 percent of homicides in Arab communities this year as violent crime continues to surge in cities and towns across Israel.

The homicide rate in Arab society doubled in 2023 and continued to rise in the years following, save for a short dip in 2024, before reaching a new peak in 2025.

The massive uptick, which coincided with the start of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s term as minister who oversees the police force, has alarmed Arab community leaders, many of whom attribute the sharp rise to ineffectiveness — if not outright negligence — on the part of law enforcement.