A 26-year-old man was shot and killed early Tuesday in the northern Arab town of I’billin, marking the second fatal shooting there in less than 24 hours amid a continuing surge in violent crime in Israeli-Arab communities. Twenty-nine Israeli-Arabs have been murdered in 2026.
Emergency services said the victim was found with critical gunshot wounds and was evacuated for hospitalization, where doctors pronounced him dead shortly afterward. Police later identified him as Muhammad Kassum.
Israel Police said the shooting was linked to an ongoing criminal dispute between rival families in the town. “This is a violent, ongoing conflict between families, accompanied by mutual shooting incidents,” police said in a statement. Fourteen suspects from the two families were arrested and taken in for questioning.
The killing came less than a day after another deadly shooting in I’billin. On Monday, 50-year-old Raouf M’riessat was shot dead in a cowshed in the town and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Shortly after that attack, a vehicle was found torched nearby. Police said they were investigating whether the burned car was used by the perpetrators. No arrests have been announced in that case.
The latest victim’s death adds to a grim family history. Kassum’s uncle, Salem Kassum, was murdered in February 2025 while driving on Route 781 near I’billin. Earlier, in December 2023, his father, Suhail Kassum, was also killed.
The two shootings in I’billin come as violence 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.
Violent surge attributed to gangs fighting turf battles
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.
On Saturday night, an estimated 40,000 Israeli Arabs and Jews demonstrated in Tel Aviv, calling on the government to take stronger measures against the surging violence.