Four Arab-Israeli men were murdered in Israel on Wednesday in separate incidents, Hebrew media reported.
This brings the total number of murders across Arab communities in the country to 120 since the start of the year, according to reports.
On Wednesday morning, Alaa Kanaena, 30, from Kafr Kara, was shot dead. That afternoon, 22-year-old Abdel Kader Awaisi from Nazareth was also shot dead. In the evening, Yosef Abu Halal, 54, as well as Amir Vani, a resident of Shefa-'Amr in his thirties, also died in similar circumstances.
Vani was pronounced dead during the evening on Wednesday at the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. He was admitted in serious condition with injuries to both his upper and lower body and was later pronounced dead by medical personnel.
Regarding Awaisi's murder in Nazareth, the victim was said to be a relative of the deputy mayor of the city. Israel Police have begun searches to locate the suspects in the shooting.
MDA paramedics found Halal mortally wounded, performed CPR on him and evacuated him to Hillel Yaffe Hospital in Hadera, where he was pronounced dead.
Kanaena was reportedly shot dead while on his way to work, and paramedics that arrived on the scene had to confirm his death. Police began an investigation into his murder.
Number of Arab victims more than doubled since the same time last year
As the number of victims in Arab sectors in 2023 reached 120 as of Thursday, there were only about 55 victims around the same time last year, according to the Abraham Initiatives. Police have yet to announce the arrest of any suspects who may have committed any murder on Wednesday.
Yoav Etiel/Walla contributed to this report.