Man shot dead near northern Arab Israeli town of Kabul

Medics declare 67-year-old dead at scene; victim reportedly father of state witness in major corruption case; since start of year, 135 members of Arab community killed by violence

A man was shot dead Tuesday near the northern Arab Israeli town of Kabul in what the Israel Police said was a criminal incident, ruling out a terror attack.

According to Hebrew media reports, the man was the father of a state witness in a major corruption case.

Police said officers were searching for suspects.

The man was 67 years old and was found along Route 70 close to the Kabul Junction, reports said.

The Abraham Initiatives, which tracks violent crime in Arab society, identified the man as a resident of Tamra, an Arab city in the north of the country.

Magen David Adom medics pronounced him dead at the scene.

A burned-out car was found nearby, and investigators were checking whether it was related to the homicide, according to reports.

Hebrew media reports said the shooting was the latest in a series of violent incidents surrounding the state witness.  In January, a suspect was arrested on suspicion of breaking into the witness’s home and threatening his family, and ten days later, a car belonging to his family was torched as the witness was giving testimony to police, the Kan public broadcaster reported. Days later, a large bomb went off at the witness’s home, and in April, a family relative of another prosecution witness was shot dead, Kan said.

The Abraham Initiatives said in a statement that 135 members of the Arab community have been killed in homicides since the start of the year. That compares with 120 people during the same period last year.

The shooting came after two men were fatally injured by gunfire in Buq’ata, a Druze town in the Golan Heights, on Friday.

A day earlier, a couple was shot and killed while driving in the central Israel Arab city of Qalansawe.

Last year marked the deadliest year for Arab society on record, with 252 Arab citizens killed, as a years-long crisis of violent crime beset the minority. At the current rate, 2026 will surpass that record.

Homicides in Arab society soared to 244 in 2023 — more than double the previous year — and have since stayed high.

The spike coincides with the term of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who took office at the end of 2022 and is responsible for law enforcement. Critics have accused the far-right minister and police of neglecting the Arab community