Over 90 suspected murders have taken place since the start of 2023, more than double last year’s rate. The vast majority of the victims are Arab-Palestinians citizens of Israel. On Monday, Hanan Abu Hait (24), the mother of a five-year-old boy, was shot dead in Haifa as part of a suspected criminal dispute.
On Sunday, thousands of people attended the funeral of Diyar Umari, a teen from the northern Arab village of Sandala who was shot dead on Saturday during a roadside fight with a man from neighboring Gan Ner. Dennis Mokin, the suspect accused of shooting dead Umari, appeared in court on Sunday and his remand was extended.
The scene of the murder of a 24-year-old woman, Hanan Abu Hait, in Haifa on May 8, 2023 (Photo: Israeli Police)
The father of 19-year-old Diyar accused the far-right government of creating more hate between Arabs and Jews on Sunday morning. “After the right-wing government showed up, they were asked that anyone be allowed to have a gun that they have with them,” he told Kan’s Reshet Bet radio. “And what [the government] said is yes. This is how you create hate. You are putting hatred into our children.”
MK Aida Touma-Sliman (Hadash), said the killing was “a clear product of a racist policy and bloodletting of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel by the government, the [National Security] minister and the police commissioner.” “Anyone who watched the video saw an image of a young man being killed. You can say it’s not based on a nationalist context, but if people are told to walk around with their weapons and mark every young Arab as a potential danger, then that’s a nationalist context,” she tweeted. Footage from the incident showed the shooter arguing with Umari on the side of the road before pulling a gun and shooting him to death.
According the Abraham Initiatives, which campaigns against violent crime, 73 Arabs killed in violent circumstances this year, 65 of them by gunfire. The Kan public broadcaster added, 13 women have been murdered since the start of the year, compared to six in the same period in 2022. MK Touma-Sliman said Monday that the state needed to find a way to help women who are trapped in dangerous situations. “There are women who are trapped within the criminal organizations and we need a clear plan on how to protect them,” she said.
