A 47-year-old resident of Ramle was fatally wounded on Saturday evening close to his home after an unknown suspect opened fire in his direction.
Magen David Adom paramedics arrived at the scene and provided medical care before transferring him to Shamir Medical Center, administering CPR throughout the evacuation. However, he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival to the hospital.
Ramle Police have opened an investigation into the murder, detaining five suspects - all residents of the city - for further questioning. They are also operating at the scene of the crime and at the home of the victim in order to collect further evidence.
In a statement given during a special situational assessment in the field, Israel Police Central District commander Yair Hatzroni called the murder an "unusual incident of severe violence on the Arab streets," and said that the special unit for fighting crime will use all necessary measures to maintain peace and security in the area for the law-abiding public.
Murder in Baka al-Gharbiya
In addition to the murder in Ramle, a man in his 30s was killed in a shooting in the Arab city of Baka al-Gharbiya on Sunday morning.
According to an Israel Police report, a 37-year-old local was shot while sitting in his car, and was fatally wounded, with MDA paramedics being forced to determine his death at the scene.
MDA paramedics were called to the scene, where they found the man critically wounded with multiple injuries across his body. They pronounced him dead at the scene of the crime with paramedic Adam Arada saying that they had "performed medical checks on him, but without signs of life we were forced to determine his death."
Police forces are searching for the perpetrators, and have opened an investigation to gather evidence at the scene of the crime.
The background and circumstances under review.
Israeli-Arab crime-related deaths - a concerning trend:
The Ramle victim marks the 72nd Arab-Israeli crime-related death in Israel since the beginning of the calendar year, according to the tally by the Abraham Initiatives, a nonprofit dedicated to coexistence between Jews and Arabs in Israel.
Of the 72 killed, 61 were shot dead.