Five Arab Israeli men were killed in a series of bombings and shootings across central Israel on Sunday, in what police described as suspected criminal violence. The incidents, spanning the cities of Jaffa, Holon, Qalansawe, and Taybeh, mark another deadly day in a protracted wave of organised crime within the country’s Arab communities.

In Jaffa, a car bomb killed a man in his 40s, identified by local sources as Iyad Gharab, and wounded his 6-year-old son. A second car bomb in the Tel Aviv suburb of Holon killed Mustafa Abu Lisan, a man in his 30s from Jaffa known to police for involvement in disputes. In Qalansawe, gunmen shot dead two men, Ghalib Abu Ras and Adnan Ghanem, both in their 40s; police are investigating possible family links. In Taybeh, another shooting killed one man and injured another in what police called a likely family feud. All victims were from Israel’s Arab minority, which makes up about 21% of the population.

Police said all four incidents were criminal in nature, and no nationalistic or political motive was suspected. The Abraham Initiatives, a non‑governmental organisation monitoring Arab‑Jewish relations, said the deaths bring to 142 the number of Arab Israelis killed in violent crime this year—an 11% increase over the same period last year. In 2025, a record 252 were killed. Arab leaders and rights groups have long accused Israeli police of neglecting crime in their communities, where illegal firearms are rife and extortion gangs operate with impunity. The police have defended their record, pointing to increased arrests and weapons seizures.

Investigations are ongoing, and no arrests have been announced. The condition of the child injured in Jaffa remains unclear, though medical sources described his wounds as moderate. The day’s violence underscores the persistence of a crisis that has deepened over the past several years, even as national politics are consumed by other security challenges.