A 24-year-old man was shot dead in his home on Saturday evening in the northern village of Ilut, apparently as a result of stray bullets.
Issam Salty was killed by a bullet fired during a fight between two families in the village – he was believed to have no involvement in the dispute.
According to a tally by the Abraham Initiatives nonprofit, Salty was the 97th apparently murdered victim in Arab society in 2021. The organization said 80 of those killed this year were victims of gun violence.
Police said in a statement that they were called to Ilut after reports of stone-pelting as part of a dispute between the two families.
“When the army was working in the village, gunshots were heard from many directions,” the statement said.
Police said that during the shooting, a man standing in his house was shot and was taken to a hospital in a moderate-serious condition. Salty later died at the English Hospital in Nazareth.
Police said five people have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the firing.
An unnamed relative told the Ynet news site that Salty had been married two months earlier.
“About two months ago we were at his wedding and he was very happy – we were all happy. Unfortunately he got hit by the bullet that took his life and we lost a great man,” the relative said. “We have not yet digested this shocking calamity – how long will the violence and crime in Arab society continue?
The relative also said that as long as the violence continues, they all remain in danger.
“I cannot say that the killings are unexpected – it is possible that I will be among those killed because this criminal situation threatens the lives of all of us,” the relative said.
Thursday was a 41-year-old man Shot dead His home in Isfia, near Haifa. Police knew about Nael Mustafa and had survived an assassination attempt several months earlier when a bomb exploded in his car.
Mustafa was arrested in May on suspicion of shooting at the house of a municipal employee. He was later seriously injured when a bomb placed inside his vehicle detonated, causing him to lose a limb, although he eventually recovered.
Violent crimes in Arab communities have reached record levels in recent years.
officials have resolved to dedicate more resources to fight crime in Arab areas, recently started online after a series of shootings #Arab_Lives_Matter Campaign To protest the alleged lack of police action.
According to a 2020 Knesset report, about 400,000 illegal weapons are circulating in Israel, the vast majority in Arab communities.
