Five people were wounded on Monday morning in Ar’ara in the Negev after police opened fire at a vehicle suspected of involvement in a shooting incident in the southern Bedouin town, according to Israel Police.
Police said shots were fired from a moving vehicle at another nearby car earlier Monday. Officers from the Yoav Unit, operating in the area as part of an operational activity, identified the suspected vehicle and began searching for it.
At a certain point, the vehicle was seen driving toward police patrol cars, police said. Officers fired at the vehicle in order to stop what they described as an immediate threat and arrest the suspects.
The vehicle then stopped, and police forces surrounded it and began searching it. Five people were inside the vehicle and were wounded by the gunfire.
Four of the wounded were evacuated to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. One was listed in serious condition, while the others were moderately wounded, according to initial reports.
Police arrested three of the vehicle’s occupants. During the search, officers found a handgun suspected of having been used in the earlier shooting, as well as several loaded magazines.
Shooting stemmed from rival clan dispute
According to a preliminary police assessment, the incident stemmed from a dispute between two rival clans in Ar’ara in the Negev. The confrontation reportedly escalated into violence on Monday morning and included the use of live fire.
Tensions remained high in Ar’ara in the Negev in the hours after the incident. Police forces were deployed in the town to maintain public order while continuing efforts to locate and arrest additional suspects allegedly involved in the incident.
Southern District Commander Ch.-Supt. Haim Bublil held a situational assessment at the scene. Police said an investigation had been opened into the circumstances of the incident.