A man from the southern Bedouin town of Segev Shalom was stabbed to death on Sunday in the nearby city of Ofakim.
Police said later that night they’d arrested five suspects in connection with the killing, whom they identified in a statement as “minority-group residents of Ofakim” — presumably to indicate that the suspects were Arab.
The 36-year-old man was identified by the Abraham Initiatives anti-violence watchdog as Marei al-Dabari.
He was found at the scene with stab wounds, unconscious and without a pulse. Magen David Adom paramedics pronounced him dead after attempting resuscitation efforts.
The Haaretz daily reported Sunday that the stabbing took place during a clash involving several people that developed when al-Dabari arrived at a shopping center.
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Channel 12 reported Monday that the incident was suspected to stem from a conflict between families.
The arrests were made “within a short period,” the police said.
Since the start of 2026, 83 Arab Israelis have been killed in incidents related to violence or crime, according to the Abraham Initiatives.
Protesters demonstrate in Haifa demanding police act against surging violent crime in Arab society on February 10, 2026. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)
In the same period last year, 64 were killed, marking a 30 percent increase over what were already record figures, the group noted in a statement.
The spiraling homicide rate, which is largely fueled by mafia-style organized crime, was the focus of escalating protests before the outbreak of war with Iran at the end of February.
A major target of popular ire has been National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, with Arab Israelis insisting the far-right politician’s oversight of police has led to worsening neglect of Arab towns by law enforcement.
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