Adam Khlaileh and his cousin Hassan Khlaileh were murdered this evening (Friday) in a shooting at a vehicle in the village of Dier Hanna in the north. Their deaths were confirmed on the way to the hospital. The shooters fled the scene, and police who arrived began an investigation. The motive is criminal. Since the beginning of the year, 51 people have been murdered in Arab society, but only three cases have been solved, with no progress in the others.
The shooting report was received at 8:03 PM at MDA's Carmel district operations center. MDA paramedics transported the two to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, but their deaths were confirmed on the way to the hospital. One of the young men was in critical condition at the scene, while the other was in serious condition.
MDA emergency paramedics Mohammed Hussein and Abed Bdarna said: "We were called to treat two victims of a violent incident. Their injuries were severe, and we provided medical treatment including dressings and stopping bleeding, and we quickly evacuated them to the hospital."
At this time, Ramadan is being observed in the Arab community. Last night, Mahmoud Jabarin (28), a resident of Umm al-Fahm, was shot dead while preparing falafel before the end of the fast. MDA personnel who arrived at the scene performed CPR but were forced to declare his death on the way to the hospital. No progress has been made in the investigation of his murder so far.
This week, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai declared that the police are committed to fighting crime in the Arab community. "The day I took office, I called on offenders to change their ways, and some people took this as a joke. They didn't understand that I am a police officer at heart, and I am not joking. We said this to the Abu Latif family. They didn't change their ways – so we arrested everyone, took all their equipment, their vehicles. Every shekel they took from the state, we will take back," he said.
He added, "I, the police commissioner, and all the commanders and police officers of the Israeli police are, first and foremost, focused on something called: crime in the Arab sector. Period. That is the number one priority, nothing else matters. The offenders think that the police are off for the weekend, but we found that they are more violent during these times, so every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the police commissioner goes with the team, travels to the northern district, and enters the homes of offenders. We are aggressive toward them because that is the only way offenders understand, and that is how we must act against those who are violent and dangerous."
