Five Palestinian citizens of Israel shot dead in two days amid 'lack of action'

Five Palestinian citizens of Israel have been shot dead in two days across Israel as a crimewave gripping the community continues and criticism of the Israeli government over a "lack of action".

The latest death, which occurred on Thursday, saw 25-year-old Samer Nasser shot and killed while he was riding his motorcycle in the city of Al-Tira in central Israel. He was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

He joins four other Palestinian citizens of Israel who were killed on Wednesday. These include 30-year-old Alaa Kanaena from Kafr Qara, who was shot and killed on his way to work, and 54-year-old Yusef Abu Hella who was shot in 'Arah.

Two other men were killed in what Israeli police suspect was the result of a gang dispute between two rival families. They are 22-year-old Abd al-Kader Awsa, who died in Nazareth, and a 30-year-old who was shot and killed in Shefa-Amr.

The deaths bring the number of Palestinian citizens of Israel killed since the beginning of the year to 120 according to Haaretz, already surpassing the death toll of 2022, which numbered 111.

Many Palestinian citizens of Israel blame the worsening problem on the Israeli police for discrimination and inaction over killings within the community and for the dismantlement of an agency focused on the issue.

The protests prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to involve Israeli domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet yet little else has been done to address the violence gripping Palestinian communities.

The head of Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, told the prime minister that it would be detrimental to the agency's "fight against terrorism".

Palestinian citizens of Israel have also expressed fears that Shin Bet’s involvement could allow the government to target them for political reasons.

In its mid-year report, the Abraham Initiative blamed Israeli far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir for the current crimewave, stating that he "does not see protecting the lives of the Palestinian citizens of Israel as his mission".

The organisation expects the number of deaths to reach 222 by the end of the year if the crimewave continues unabated.