Jerusalem, 27 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — A man was killed and another seriously wounded Tuesday in a shooting at a car dealership in Yarka, a Druze town in northern Israel, in what police described as a criminally motivated attack. The murder brings the death toll from violence in the Israeli-Arab community to 24.
According to initial findings, assailants arrived at the lot on a motorcycle and opened fire, striking the business owner and an employee. Both victims were evacuated to Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera. One victim, identified by Israeli media as Timor Atallah, died of his injuries. The second victim remains hospitalized in serious condition.
Israel Police said the incident appears to be linked to an ongoing dispute between criminal elements. No arrests were reported by Tuesday evening.
The shooting came amid a broader surge in violent crime across Arab communities in Israel. Overnight, Mohammad Joss Mahamid died from wounds sustained in a shooting two weeks earlier in the northern town of Umm al-Fahm.
Over the weekend, 37-year-old Jamal Mazawi was shot dead in Nazareth. His murder occurred as demonstrations were held in several northern towns, with Israeli-Arab protesters accusing law enforcement of failing to contain escalating gang-related violence.
Arab cities and towns throughout Israel went on a daylong strike last Thursday, decrying police’s failure to stem the near-daily homicides in the community. The day was capped off by a massive march in the northern city of Sakhnin, which drew tens of thousands of people.
The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, an umbrella organization of Israeli Arab municipal leaders, is calling for another demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
The spike continues a pattern of violence in the Arab sector, which saw a record number of 252 Israeli-Arabs murdered in 2025 — more than double the 120 homicides in 2022.
The surge is attributed to organized crime groups fighting turf battles and attempting to eliminate rivals. Arab criminal organizations have been involved in extortion, money laundering, and trafficking in weapons, drugs, and women.
Critics argue the crime wave has worsened since Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right politician, became National Security Minister in 2022.
Related Topics
