Three family members killed in Galilee shooting

Three family members were killed and one was injured in a shooting attack as they drove near the town of Eilabun in the Galilee.

The family members killed were a 58-year-old man, a 46-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl. An 8-year-old girl was found outside of the car with gunshot wounds and was evacuated to the Baruch Padeh Medical Center in Poriya after being treated at the scene.

Large police forces searched the area in order to locate the suspected shooters, while police detectives collected evidence at the scene for the unfolding investigation.

Initial reports indicate that the victims were residents of Ramle, who had moved to the town of Deir Hanna in the lower Galilee about a month ago. Police have also indicated that the incident was connected to criminal activity.

“A girl of about eight was outside of the car. She was extremely agitated and was suffering from penetration wounds,” said MDA paramedic Omri Hochman. “We afforded medical treatment while trying to calm her down, and then evacuated her to the hospital, alone and in moderate condition.”

The shooting comes amid protests in recent months against rising criminal activity in the Arab sector. The issue has gained national prominence as the new government under Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has pledged to make it a priority. A special committee on eradicating crime in Arab society was part of the coalition agreements with Ra’am (United Arab List).

MK Ofer Cassif (Joint List) reacted to the incident on Twitter.

“A family was slaughtered, and a 9 year old was left alone,” he wrote.

Cassif demanded that police pursue the murderers and their accomplices, and that “the police must stop ignoring organized crime in Arab society. They know where the weapons are and who the crime bosses are. These assassinations are not spontaneous, and are planned in advance.”

Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas, who chairs the committee on eradicating crime in the Arab sector, said on Thursday that “the conflicts [in Arab society] are not only between crime organizations; they can also be between two families. Social violence and organized crime are trampling the personal security of the country’s Arab citizens, which has been neglected for years in order to save the state Treasury money.”