A man was shot and killed and his body was found in a forest near the town of Shfaram on Thursday, police said, with media reports saying that the killers had sent a video of the killing to his family.
The killing came a day after a triple homicide that rocked the northern Arab city, with police sources telling Hebrew media that the killings were linked to a feud between families.
The victim was identified by the Arab48 news site as Shfaram resident Karam Suwaed, 30. He was the twelfth Arab homicide victim in 2026, just eight days into the new year.
Suwaed’s killers recorded a video of themselves shooting his prone body nine times. They then sent the footage to his family members, according to the Ynet news site.
Police began searching for Suwaed on Wednesday, after receiving a report of a missing man who left home that evening and did not return. His body was found after extensive searches in the area, including a search by helicopter.
Haaretz said Suwaed is thought to have been murdered in retaliation for the killing early Wednesday morning of Yasser Hujiyrat, Fathi Hujiyrat and Haled Gadir, amid a feud between the local Suwaed and Khaldi families.
A police source cited by the newspaper said the feud erupted about two-and-a-half years ago after a dispute involving criminal associates of both families. The feud has since claimed the lives of 31 people, including seven this month alone, according to Haaretz.
The killings follow a year in which the number of Arab homicide victims reached an all-time high of 252.
Community leaders accuse the government of instituting policies that have allowed violent organized crime to proliferate in Arab towns and say police have largely failed to combat the problem, placing particular blame on National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the far-right politician responsible for law enforcement.
Ben Gvir has not made public remarks about the killings in 2026 so far.
Police have denied neglecting the Arab community and accused criminals of hampering law enforcement efforts by intimidating residents into not reporting crimes.
