Man shot dead in Shfaram in 100th violent killing of 2026 in Arab community

Victim named as Hadi Su’ad, 28; report says his father and brother were killed in past year, in apparent gangland feud between families that has claimed the lives of 35 people

A man was shot dead in the northern city of Shfaram early Sunday morning, police said. The killing was the 100th death from violent crime in Israel’s Arab society so far this year.

The Israel Police said it opened an investigation into the shooting.

The victim was identified as Hadi Su’ad, 28, according to the Abraham Initiatives, a watchdog that tracks killings in Arab society

Su’ad’s brother and father were both killed in the past year, the Kan broadcaster said.

Kan said that Sunday morning’s killing was likely related to an ongoing gangland feud between the Su’ad and Khalidi families in the area, which it said has claimed some 35 victims so far.

According to the Abraham Initiatives, Su’ad’s killing was the 100th violent killing of a member of Israel’s Arab minority since the start of 2026. To date, the number of Arab homicide victims is around 20 percent higher than last year’s figure at the same point in time.

Last year saw a record 252 murders in the Arab community, with this year already on pace to surpass that.

According to the Abraham Initiatives, of the 100 murder victims in the Arab community so far this year, 93 were killed in shootings, five were stabbed and one was burned to death in a vehicle.

Two East Jerusalem Palestinians have also been killed in violent crime incidents so far this year, the organization added.

Many in Israel accuse National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir of allowing crime to fester in Arab communities, arguing that police under the far-right politician’s oversight have neglected enforcement in Arab towns. The minister took office at the end of 2022. In 2023, his first full year in office, homicides in Arab society soared to over 240 — more than double the toll in 2022, which at the time had been the bloodiest year on record.

Under Ben Gvir’s guidance, critics charge, police have done little to curb organized crime.