1948 Palestinian man becomes 100th to be shot dead in Israel this year

A Palestinian man became the 100th Palestinian citizen of Israel killed by gun violence this year after he was shot dead on Monday morning in the town of Bi'na.

The man was identified as Salim Abd Al-Karim Hasarma, 44, by Bi'na's mayor, Ali Abu Iyad.

His brother, Ibrahim Hasarma, was shot dead in December 2019.

Israeli police said in a statement that unknown gunmen had fired from a passing car at another vehicle.

"As a result of the shooting, a man in his forties was critically wounded. His death was later confirmed by medical staff," police said.

A parliamentary report in August revealed that male Palestinian citizens of Israel aged over 25 are 36 times more likely to fall victim to gun violence than their Jewish Israeli counterparts.

Those living in a predominantly Palestinian area were 30 times more likely to be a victim of gun crime than those living in Jewish neighbourhoods, according to the study.

Gun violence in the Palestinian community in Israel accounts for over 60 percent of all murder victims nationwide despite Palestinian citizens of Israel making up just over 20 percent of the population.

There are more than 400,000 illegal weapons among Palestinians in Israel, although the population is just over two million.

Israeli authorities have consistently drawn criticism for allegedly failing to tackle intra-Palestinian violence within Israel's 1948 boundaries.

Palestinian citizens of Israel face systematic discrimination and regularly complain of being treated as second-class citizens.

Large segments of the Israeli public see Palestinian citizens as a demographic threat to Israel's "Jewish identity", with discrimination entrenched across housing, public services, education, and employment.

Palestinian citizens of Israel are often at odds with the Israeli police - an institution they believe is doing little to stop the gun crime epidemic within their community.