Father and son die in Rahat family fight

According to reports, the fight was sparked by a dispute over who would succeed the head of a family who died last year.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
A father and son were shot dead during a mass brawl in the Beduin city of Rahat on Saturday night.
Malak al-Abid, 55, and his son, Samih al-Abid, 20, were both declared dead by doctors at the Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba on Sunday night after attempts to resuscitate them failed.
According to reports, the fight was sparked by a dispute over who would succeed the head of a family who died last year. Police received a report of a mass brawl at approximately 10 p.m. on Saturday night.
Officers saw dozens of participants, some of them armed with an variety of weapons.
Several participants were arrested on the spot.
Southern police district head Cmdr. Yochanan Danino deployed reinforcements to the scene.
Danino described the incident as extremely serious, and has tasked the special Negev Central Unit, headed by Dep.- Cmdr. Dudu Boani, with leading the investigation into the double homicide.
Over the past 24 hours, a total 17 suspects in possession of weapons were arrested, and officers maintained an increased presence in the town in an attempt to restore order.
Several firearms were confiscated during the arrests on Saturday and Sunday.