By Pesach Benson • April 16, 2026
Jerusalem, 16 April, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include the arrest of a suspect.
Israeli police are investigating a suspected homicide in the Arab city of Kafr Qasim, bringing the number of Israeli-Arab murder victims in 2026 to 88.
The victim, identified as Marlene al-Touri in her 30s, was pulled from a burnt-out car and declared dead at the scene by Magen David Adom paramedics. Police said they have opened an investigation and believe the killing may be linked to a local blood feud. Police said they arrested the woman’s former partner, a Bedouin man in his 40s.
Separately on Tuesday night, 61-year-old Ziad Hussein Abu Naji, was shot dead in Nazareth while repairing his car outside his home in what authorities are also treating as a suspected murder. Authorities have not announced any arrests.
According to the Abraham Initiatives, a non-profit organization that promotes Arab integration into Israeli society, 88 Arab citizens have been killed in crime-related incidents so far this year, including six women.
The surging violence is widely attributed to organized crime groups engaged in turf wars and efforts to eliminate rivals. Arab criminal organizations have been involved in extortion, money laundering, and the trafficking of 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.
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