One Israeli killed, eight wounded in deadly night of shootings in Lod

25-year-old Hamza Abu Ghanem is the 47th Arab-Israeli murdered since the start of 2023 • Eight wounded, including four children

 Police and Magen David Adom (MDA) personnel are on the scene of a shooting attack in Lod, Israel, on July 9, 2022. (photo credit: MDA SPOKESPERSON)
Police and Magen David Adom (MDA) personnel are on the scene of a shooting attack in Lod, Israel, on July 9, 2022.
(photo credit: MDA SPOKESPERSON)

Gunfire erupted in the Israeli mixed city of Lod overnight, killing a 25-year-old resident and wounding eight others, including four children, Hebrew media reported Friday morning.

The murder victim was identified as Hamza Abu Ghanem, who was shot at the entrance to his home, Ynet reported.

He was critically injured at the time paramedics evacuated him to the Shamir Medical Center in Be'er Yaakov, but died of his injuries at the hospital.

Abu Ghanem is the 47th Israeli Arab sector to have been murdered since the start of 2023. This marks a sharp increase from this same time last year when there were just 21 Israeli Arabs murdered, Ynet reported.

Police initiated an investigation into the shooting. An initial investigation showed that he was praying at a mosque in Lod - after leaving it and returning to his home - he was shot to death, Ynet reported.

Israel police car (Illustrative) (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Israel police car (Illustrative) (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

Following the shooting, the police held a special emergency assessment and decided to increase law enforcement presence in the city.

Crime family gang fights result in eight people wounded

This comes eight hours after a shooting that resulted in eight people being wounded, including four children, Army Radio reported.

That shooting was the result of a conflict between two well-known Lod crime families, KAN reported.

According to Walla, the incident took place at the compound of the Zeitoun crime family.