NAZARETH, April 3, 2026 (WAFA) – A Palestinian citizen of Israel on Friday was killed in a shooting in Jisr az-Zarqa town in Haifa district.

This brings the total number of Palestinian citizens of Israel killed since the beginning of 2026 to 76, including 75 Palestinians living in 33 cities and villages inside Israel and a Palestinian from the West Bank who was killed in Nazareth.

Among the victims are three killed by Israeli police fire, five women, and three minors under the age of 18.

The surge follows a record year in 2025, when 252 people were killed in 218 separate incidents, according to the Abraham Initiatives, a non-governmental organization that monitors violence among Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Palestinian citizens of Israel have organized a series of protests in predominantly Palestinian towns and villages against rising violent crimes affecting them and accusing Israeli police of complicity and failure to protect their communities.

The number of deaths has increased roughly fourfold over the past decade.

Palestinians say their demands extend beyond tackling organized crime. They accuse the Israeli government and law enforcement agencies of failing to address the crisis.

They argue that official bodies have neglected Palestinian communities and, in some cases, enabled the conditions allowing violence to spread.

The rise in killings has continued since National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has previously been convicted of offences related to incitement to racism against Arabs, took office in 2023.

K.F.