Three Bedouin brothers, all in their 20s, were shot dead on Wednesday night in southern Israel in what is suspected to have been an arms deal that went sour, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported on Thursday.
The brothers were named as Hamaam, Suleiman, and Sagar al-Qadi Tarabin. The incident reportedly took place in the Bedouin town of Segev Shalom, just south of Be’er Sheva.
KAN, citing the police, reported that two of the brothers were pronounced dead at the scene and the third succumbed to his wounds at the hospital after being conveyed there in critical condition.
"We lost three of our best sons," the public broadcaster quoted Segev Shalom council head Kaid Abu Muamar as saying. "This does not characterize the residents of the council. I hope the police will catch the perpetrators of this terrible crime. They are from a very normal family, and they have no conflict with anyone."
According to an initial investigation conducted by local police, however, initial evidence of the incident indicates the event was related to a dispute between criminals, KAN reported.
A 'heinous murder'
"Once again, we are witnessing an incident in which a failed arms deal led to the heinous murder of three brothers," Police Commissioner-General Danny Levy said during a situational assessment, according to KAN. "There is no doubt that technological tools could have thwarted this horrific event and even helped to decipher many incidents."
According to the Abraham Initiatives, an NGO that seeks to advance the social inclusion and rights of Israeli Arabs in Israel, the killing of the three brothers brings the tally of Arabs in Israel killed in incidents related to crime and violence to 185.
Of the 185, 155 died from gun violence, 19 women, 93 were 30 years old or younger, three were under 18 years old, and nine were shot by police officers.
Additionally, the Abraham Initiatives noted that this year has seen an eight percent increase over last year in such incidents over the same period of time.