National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at the scene of the shooting in Yafia (Eli Ashkenazi)
Violence on the Arab street reached an unimaginable peak on Thursday. In one of the most serious criminal incidents in recent years, five young men were shot dead in the village of Yafia, near Nazareth, and two others were moderately wounded. The shooting occurred near a car wash business, and a vehicle caught fire nearby, and no injuries were reported. Five of the wounded were critically wounded and evacuated to the English Hospital in Nazareth, where they were pronounced dead. Among the five murdered are Marjieh, the owner of the car wash business where the shooting took place, Rami Marjieh, Naim's cousin, Louis Abu Rajab, Mohammed Kanana and Ibrahim Shehadeh.
Almost simultaneously, two relatives, a three-year-old toddler and a 30-year-old man, were shot and seriously wounded in the village of Kana. They were evacuated to Poriya Hospital near Tiberias.
A few hours later, a 30-year-old resident of Jaljulia was shot and killed while driving on Route 444 near Rosh HaAyin. This is the sixth fatality in Arab society today, and the 98th so far this year. MDA teams that arrived at the scene pronounced him dead and provided medical treatment to a 33-year-old man who was also injured by the gunfire and evacuated to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva in fair condition.
The scene of the murder in Yafia, June 8, 2023 (Photo: documentation on social networks according to section 27A of the Copyright Law)
The dead driver apparently hit the other wounded man after he was shot. The police are investigating suspicion that the deceased had an IED in his car, and searches carried out at the site of the perpetrators of the offense revealed weapons parts in the vehicle. The background and circumstances under review.
Central District Police Commander Lt. Gen. Avi Biton conducted a special assessment of the situation at the scene of the murder at the Qasim interchange, at the end of which he assigned the investigation to the Central Police Department, along with instructions for increased operational activity in all cities of the Triangle and in the cities of Ramle and Lod.
Following the death of the man on Route 444, the Abraham Initiatives organization reported that 98 Arabs have lost their lives since the beginning of the year in circumstances related to violence and crime. Of the victims, 87 were shot dead and 44 were under the age of 30. In comparison, in the same period last year, according to the association, there were 35 victims.
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The scene of the murder near Rosh HaAyin, June 8, 2023 (Photo: Israel Police Spokesperson's Office)
In response to Yafia's shooting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was "shocked by the horrific murder near Nazareth. We are determined to stop this string of murders. We will do this not only with the reinforcement of the police, but also with the assistance of the Shin Bet. I am determined to bring in the Shin Bet as an auxiliary element for the Israel Police against these criminals, against criminal organizations, against these murders."
Netanyahu added that this week he held a series of meetings on the issue of the Shin Bet being introduced to fight crime in Arab society. "I intend to continue next week and get a quick result," he said.
"This massacre is on Ben-Gvir's hands." The Minister of National Security visits Yafia, June 8, 2023 (Photo: Eli Ashkenazi)
But on the Arab street, Netanyahu's statements, the political echelon and the police did not calm things down. "The police protect the murderers. Tell me they don't know who murdered, they know who it is," said one Yafia resident, following a visit by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai. "The police are responsible, M16 is made in the IDF, made in Israel. It would have been possible to reach the murderers within minutes, if there had been a case in a Jewish city they would have been treated differently." Another civilian attacked Ben-Gvir: "He shouldn't be treated, you piece of rag. He's human shit – we don't need to talk about him. He has bags, he was a terrorist."
"This massacre is at Ben-Gvir's hands," said Rula Daoud, co-director of the Standing Together movement, in response to the minister's arrival at the scene of the murder. "Almost 100 Arabs have been murdered since the beginning of the year and Ben-Gvir did nothing, he left us to bleed to death. Ben-Gvir failed, and we paid for it with our lives. It's time for him to resign."
The monitoring committee declared a strike and protest demonstrations. The scene of the shooting in Yafia (Photo: documentation on social networks according to section 27A of the Copyright Law)
Hadash-Ta'al Chairman Ayman Odeh said in response: "A shocking massacre tonight in Yafia. The blood on the hands of Ben-Gvir and Netanyahu.
We have been warning and calling for years that weapons must be removed from the streets and criminal organizations must be entered. Whoever really wants to fight crime must fire Ben-Gvir immediately. We will not tolerate this neglect. We will shut down the whole country until this stops." Following the murders, the High Follow-Up Committee declared a strike and protest demonstrations.
Benny Gantz, chairman of the state camp, called for the dismissal of Minister Ben-Gvir in response to the shooting incidents in the north. "It's time for the prime minister to adopt practical steps, 'get into the event' and put the issue at the top of the list of priorities. The first step should be to fire Ben-Gvir, who is engaged in boastful performances in prisons and the dismissal of officers, instead of steps on the ground. He cannot handle such a complex event, and it is doubtful whether he is interested in dealing with it. The state camp will back every correct and responsible step – an emergency plan is required."
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