Police are investigating a suspected double murder after an engaged couple was shot dead in northern Israel’s Yarka on Tuesday, as a wave of violence across Arab communities in Israel left four people dead within 24 hours.
According to Haaretz monitoring, 99 people have been killed in Israel since the beginning of 2026, including ten women.
The victims were identified as Sewar Abbas, 21, from Baqa al-Gharbiyye, and Aadi Sha’aban, 30, from Majd al-Krum. Police said the motive is believed to be criminal. Medics said the two were found unconscious and pronounced dead at the scene.
The killings in Yarka came hours after two other deadly incidents in Arab communities.
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Earlier on Tuesday, Ahmed Issa, 40, of Kafr Qasem, central Israel, was shot dead. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced dead. Police said the killing was criminally motivated and linked to what they described as an ongoing “blood feud.”
In a separate incident, Sabreen al-Ataika, 27, from the southern Israeli city of Rahat, was pronounced dead at Soroka Medical Center after she was shot. Police said they arrested her brother, in his 20s, on suspicion of involvement in the killing. Authorities said the motive is suspected to be a family dispute.
Last week, Akram Abu Assa, 29, was stabbed to death in the Bedouin town of Tel Sheva in southern Israel’s Negev. Police said he was taken to hospital in critical condition and later died of his wounds. Local security officials said the attack stemmed from a land dispute between neighbors. It was the fourth homicide reported in Israel that week.
According to previous Haaretz reporting, the pace of killings in Israel’s Arab community has risen sharply in recent years. In 2025, an Arab citizen was killed on average every 36 hours. Haaretz data showed 249 Arab citizens were killed last year, compared with 233 in 2024, 242 in 2023 and 108 in 2022 – before Itamar Ben-Gvir’s appointment as national security minister.
