NAZARETH, April 14, 2026 (WAFA) – A Palestinian citizen of Israel on Tuesday evening was killed in a shooting in Nazareth.

The victim was identified as a 61-year-old father of four.

This brings the total number of Palestinian citizens of Israel killed since the beginning of 2026 to 81, including three killed by Israeli police fire, five women, and three minors under the age of 18. Since the start of April 2026, seven Palestinian citizens of Israel have been killed.

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.