AKKA, April 21, 2026 (WAFA) – A Palestinian citizen of Israel and his fiancée were on Tuesday killed in a shooting in Yirka town in the Galilee, according to local sources.
They said that Odai Faraj Shaʽban, 24, a resident of Majd al-Krum town, and his fiancée, Suwar Abbas, 21, a resident of Baqa al-Gharbiyye town, were shot and killed in Yirka.
They added that the perpetrators blocked the road in front of the victims’ vehicle, after which one of them got out and opened fire at the vehicle, killing Shaʽban. Meanwhile, his fiancée, who had been seated next to him, exited the vehicle and fled toward a nearby field. During that time, she came under gunfire and was later found approximately 200 meters from the vehicle.
This brings the total number of Palestinian citizens of Israel killed since the beginning of 2026 to 87, including three killed by Israeli police fire, eight women, and three minors under the age of 18. Since the start of April 2026, 13 Palestinian citizens of Israel have been killed. These statistics do not cover the Palestinian victims of shootings in Jerusalem.
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.
