A 17-year-old boy was shot dead on Tuesday night in the Bedouin town of Hura in the Negev, near Beersheba, during a brawl between hundreds that broke out within a clan in the area.
A Magen David Adom team that was called to the scene provided the boy with medical treatment and evacuated him to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba while carrying out resuscitation operations as he was in critical condition. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital and police opened an investigation on suspicion of murder.
At around 12:30 a.m., a report was received at police dispatch about a brawl that broke out in Hura's neighborhood 10 that was accompanied by stone-throwing. Security forces were called to the scene and dispersed the riot. "Rahat police officers, assisted by Border Police, arrived at the scene in an armored vehicle and restored order," a statement said.
Violence in Hura
The teen is the 32nd Israeli-Arab to die in Israel in crime-related violence since the beginning of the calendar year, according to the Abraham Initiatives, an Israeli NGO focused on Israeli-Arab coexistence. The organization keeps track of the number of Israeli-Arabs killed in the state.
Another incident of violence occurred in the locality three days ago, when a 12-year-old boy was seriously injured in a fire that several suspects lit in a store in the Negev town. MDA staff who were called to the scene provided the boy, Issa Najah Abu Alkian, with medical treatment and evacuated him to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, suffering from second- and third-degree burns all over his body. Police arrived at the scene and opened an investigation.
Two men from Hura, aged 25 and 21, were later arrested on suspicion of being responsible for the act.
"My child was at my factory, and he went out to repair his cell phone," said Abu Alkian's father. "Unidentified people entered and set the place on fire with flammable material. The boy was burned all over his body and was taken to Soroka Medical Center. We are here waiting for him to leave safely."
We do not feel safe at all. I do not feel safe letting my children out of the house.
Father of Issa Najah Abu Alkian
According to the father, the child is under general anesthesia. "Doctors say we need to cross our fingers," he said.
Regarding the arsonists, the father said that they attacked whoever was in the store at the time, and he knew them personally and gave their names to the police. "We are waiting for the police to do what is required of them," he said.