Ben-Gvir leads major raid on Israeli town with high Palestinian population

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led over 500 police officers on a raid into the Arab towns of Ramle and Lod on Friday after a deadly car bomb killed four civilians, the latest in a wave of violent incidents that have embroiled towns with Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Ultranationalist Ben-Gvir, known for his anti-Palestinian and pro-Jewish settler policies led police forces who made arrests in the two towns after the major attack in Ramle in central Israel on Thursday night.

Ben Gvir visited the site of the explosion and said police would "continue to fight this crime with all the tools at its disposal".

"But I warn: crime in the Arab community requires more extensive tools and broader powers."

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticised Ben-Gvir's visit to the scene.

"There have been incompetent ministers before him, but he's the first to turn failure into a profession," he wrote on social media platform X.

Residents of Ramle, a mixed city of Jews and Arabs, have blamed the government for "abandoning" them to crime after a string of incidents including killings and explosions.

Two women, a ten-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl were killed and eight others wounded in the car explosion on Thursday night which caused a fire to break out in nearby shops.

Duaa Abu Halawa, Sila Abu Halawa, Muhammad Abu Halawa and Lin Maghrabi were named as those killed. A two-month-old baby and a six-year-old girl who were wounded remain in the Shamir Medical Center in Tzrifin, according to Israeli media reports.

The incident was suspected to be related to clashes between two rival gang families, according to Israeli media reports.

The Israeli police said it had launched an investigation into the cause of the explosion which was suspected to be linked to "a criminal conflict between crime families in the Arab neighbourhood".

On Thursday three people were arrested on suspicion of violating public order and assaulting policemen after relatives of the victims clashed with police outside the medical centre, according to reports.

While there have been historic incidences of violence related to mob families in the town who are connected to criminal trade, the problem is exacerbated by neglect on the part of Israeli police authorities, who residents say, fail to take their concerns seriously.

An NGO run by Jews and Palestinians called the Abraham Initiatives blamed the government for Thursday night’s violence.

"The complete abandonment of the Arab community has reached new heights," they said.

"Victims of violence and crime are also victims of policy. The current government's policy, which abandons Arab citizens at the mercy of crime organizations, is to blame.”

The NGO, which aims to promote equality, said that the government’s racism towards Arabs “undermines the foundations of the state” and called on the prime minister to fire Ben-Gvir.

Since coming into office, Ben-Gvir has loosened gun control laws and fast-tracked permits, enabling more Israeli citizens to carry firearms, claiming it is making Israel safer.

The minister, who had previously been convicted for incitement to racism, has called for the reoccupation of Gaza and said that Israeli rights are more important than Palestinians' freedom of movement.

(with Agencies)