Published: 2 May 2023
Last updated: 5 March 2024
There has been a spike in in killings in both Arab and Jewish communities, but close to none of the murder cases in Arab communities has been solved.
In the first four months of this year, during which Itamar Ben-Gvir has been National Security Minister, the number of homicide victims in Israel more than doubled compared to the same period in 2022.
There have been 78 killings, compared to 34 last year in the first four months, with an upsurge in both Arab and Jewish communities.
Police attribute the spike in homicide cases and the fact that most of them have been going unsolved to the diversion of police manpower to deal with massive protests against the government’s planned judicial overhaul, in addition to the recent wave of terrorism.
“All of the attention and [allocation of forces] are being directed first of all to deal with the unusual security situation and also the many protests, the likes of which we hadn’t seen,” one senior police source claimed.
Most of the victims are people who had been known to the police – an indication of an upsurge in organised crime in the country’s Arab community. Only three of this year’s 60 homicide cases in which the victim was Arab have been solved.
Among Israel’s Jewish population, there was a notable increase in homicides in the centre of the country, in part due to disputes among crime organisations following the release of kingpins from prison and the return to Israel of others from abroad.
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