Four people were killed in a shootout in the northern Israeli Arab town of Abu Snan, including a mayoral candidate, sending shockwaves through the communities and prompting further criticism of the spiraling crime wave in the Arab sector.
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The four were declared dead at the scene after Magen David Adom paramedics found them in a field. One of the victims was Ghazi Sa'ad, who was running for mayor in the upcoming municipal elections in Abu Snan.
The other three fatalities were later identified as his relatives Zahir al-Din Sa'ab and Amir Sa'ab as well as Salman Halbi from the nearby Yarka Israeli Druze village.
Video: The bodies were found by paramedics in a field / Credit: Magen David Adom emergency medical services
The shooting came just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again called to involve the Shin Bet security agency in cracking down on violent crimes in the Arab sector, following the killing of Abed Rahman Kashua, the municipal director of the Arab town of Tira, a day earlier.
President Isaac Herzog also commented on the quadruple murder, saying, "Every citizen of the Arab society in Israel lives today in terrible fear, heavy grief, and terrible anxieties. Each of the murdered is a complete world to his family and loved ones.
"This is an emergency that requires determined measures by the state to eradicate crime and violence and prevent the loss of life. My condolences to the grieving families from the last few days – from Tira to Abu Snan," he said.
Officials have long sounded the alarm over the unprecedented crime wave in the Arab sector, with police warning that the violence could overflow to the rest of Israeli society.
Monday's shooting brings the number of deaths linked to criminal violence in Israel's Arab community in 2023 to 156 – over twice as many as in the same period last year.
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