BREAKING NEWS

Brother of top Israeli mobster shot dead in near Kiryat Gat

The brother of a top organized crime figure in southern Israel was gunned down Friday night while sitting in his car near a moshav near Kiryat Gat, sparking fears of renewed underworld violence in the south.
The victim is also an organized crime figure, and he and his brother are known across Israel for a war they and their allies have waged in recent years against southern mob boss Shalom Domrani and his allies in central Israel, including the Lavi brothers. That feud saw a series of car bombs and shootings in the south, especially Ashkelon, in late 2014 and the following months.
The victim’s brother was himself a top lieutenant of Domrani’s until he branched off a few years ago to start his own organization, sparking a blood feud with his former boss.
Police received the call about the shooting about 1am Saturday morning, and not long after both men were evacuated to Barzilay Hospital, where the victim was pronounced dead of his wounds. Once police realized the identity of the two men, the case was handed over to the LAHAV 433 branch of the national police, whose economic crimes unit is responsible for investigating the organization to which the two men belong.