Car bombs and shootings kill 5 Arab Israelis in single-day crime wave
Bloodshed pushes community death toll to 142 this year as police tie violence to organised crime networks
Car bombs and gun attacks killed five members of Israel’s Arab minority Sunday, the latest violence to hit a community that has already recorded dozens of deaths this year.
Criminal violence has escalated among Israel’s Arab minority in recent years, where gangs extort residents and business owners for protection and frequently kill those who fail to pay.
In Jaffa, part of the Tel Aviv municipal area, a car bomb killed a man in his 40s, police and emergency services said, while Israeli news reports reported that the blast left the man’s six-year old son injured.
“The background is criminal,” the police said.
A second car bomb struck in Holon, south of Tel Aviv, severely injuring a man who later died at hospital, the force said.
The victim had been known to police for his involvement in disputes, Tel Aviv police district commander Major General Haim Sargarof told journalists.