Arab man shot dead by off-duty Israeli officer in Jaffa

An Arab-Israeli man was shot dead by an off-duty Israeli police officer on Friday during a reported traffic altercation in Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv, reported the Times of Israel.

The officer has been arrested for the killing of Jacob Toukhy, 50, and is currently under investigation by the Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) on suspicion of murder.

Video circulating on social media shows Toukhy in a paramedic uniform and motorcycle helmet, limp on the pavement of Jaffa’s central Yehuda HaYamit street as the Israeli officer, who was not on duty or dressed in a uniform, repeatedly strikes him in the head until he shoots him.

According to an eyewitness, the off-duty officer smelt of alcohol.

תיעוד הרצח ביפו pic.twitter.com/vUHoKSgRfQ

— Asslan Khalil (@KhalilAsslan) April 12, 2024

“Jacob Toukhy, a well-known and well-respected Jaffa resident, a social activist who volunteered in the Magen David Adom [ambulance service] for many years, was shot dead on the street last night,” Tel Aviv-Jaffa Mayor Ron Huldai wrote on X on Saturday morning, calling the killing a “terrible incident that should not have happened.”

According to Israel’s Channel 12 on Saturday, a group of several dozen protesters gathered outside the Abu Kabir medical forensic centre to protest the DIPI’s delay in transferring the body from Wolfson Medical Centre to Abu Kabir for an autopsy.

Abed Sattel, a cousin of Toukhy, told Channel 12: “We want to bury him today. According to the laws of Islam, the burial needs to happen as quickly as possible.”

Sattel was also quoted by the Kan public broadcaster condemning the “cold-blooded murder.”

“If we had thought 10 times about a similar situation we would not have thought Yacoub would be the victim of such a murder. We despise murder,” said Sattel, who also heads a non-profit foundation for Jaffa’s Arab community. “We hope the court will bring the murderer to justice and put him behind bars,” he added.

Toukhy worked with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and was recognised by the agency as “a dedicated member of our team for more than two decades.”

“We are working with the US Embassy to ascertain further details about this fatal incident and how it will be investigated,” USAID added.

We are heartbroken to report that one of our own, Jacob Toukhy, was tragically killed last night in Jaffa. To Jacob’s family, we and @USAIDWBG send our deepest condolences; we mourn alongside you. Jacob was a valued member of our embassy community for over two decades.

— U.S. Embassy Jerusalem (@usembassyjlm) April 13, 2024

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