A gunfight in the Negev village of Hura left two men dead on Monday, in
what police are saying is the latest chapter in a long-running feud
between two rival Beduin families.
The two victims were named as
Louie and Omar Abu-Sabit, aged 23 and 27. A third victim was brought to
Beersheba's Soroka Medical Center, where he was hospitalized with light
to moderate injuries.
The Abu-Sabit family has for years been involved in a violent feud with the Abu-Elkain family in Hura, north of Beersheba.
While
there is a gag order placed on most details of the investigation,
police confirmed that the shooting is linked to the feud, and that they
have tasked the Negev branch of the YAMAR special investigations unit
with solving the case.
Police said that following the shooting
they deployed reinforcements in and around Hura, specifically in areas
where the two families have clashed in the past.
Police said the
"massive" reinforcements include checkpoints and a large number of
undercover police, some of whom will patrol the funerals for the two
victims in an effort to prevent a further outbreak of violence between
the two families.