2 Palestinian brothers shot dead in Israel

Two Palestinian citizens of Israel were shot dead this morning inside their car in an olive grove near the Arab town of Abu Snan, in the northern Galilee region.

According to Haaretz, 28-year-old Yahya and his 23-year-old brother Omar Saadi were residents of the neighbouring village of Jadeidi-Makr.

Based on the preliminary assessment by Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service, it was evident that the assailants deliberately targeted the upper body, indicating an intentional act of homicide.

Amin Suaed, a Magen David Adom emergency doctor, said: “When we arrived at the scene, we discovered two men in their thirties, unconscious, in a car located in an olive grove near the road.”

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“We carried out medical examinations but found no signs of life and had to pronounce them dead.”

Israel Police stated that they had initiated an investigation into the tragic shooting and employed drones to aid in the search.

The shooting follows a general strike held in Arab municipalities in Israel yesterday in protest against the surge in crime that has resulted in the deaths of more than 170 Palestinian citizens of Israel so far this year. Residents blame Israel’s systemic negligence of Arab society for the killings.

The announcement for the strike came after the funerals of a prominent imam who was fatally shot in the northern Arab town of Kafr Qara on Saturday, just two days after a double homicide in the Arab town.

Sheikh Sami Abed Al-Latif, 60, was gunned down as he was leaving a mosque in the northern Arab city. He was renowned for his involvement in mediating conflicts within the community.

Haaretz reported that 171 Palestinian citizens of Israel have lost their lives this year, with a notable surge in fatalities during the month of July.

Palestinian citizens of Israel face systematic discrimination and complain of being treated as second-class citizens in comparison to their Jewish counterparts. Numerous human rights groups decry Israeli policies against Arabs as a form of modern-day apartheid, with Arabs suffering racial discrimination in education, work and health care.

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