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Photos:
The scene of a fatal shooting in the Arab Israeli town of Arara, on Wednesday. Credit: Amir Levy. Published by Haaretz

Layali Jahjah. Published by Haaretz

Layali Jahjah. Posted by Alon Green via Twitter (X)
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via Twitter (X)

Alon-Lee Green - ألون-لي جرين - אלון-לי גרין

@AlonLeeGreen

ילדה בת 7 נורתה עכשיו בראשה ביישוב בערערה שבמשולש הצפוני. זה המצב שאליו הגענו - ילדה בת 7 נורתה בראשה והרופאים נאבקים בדקות אלה על חייה. ארגוני הפשיעה משתוללים, מטילים אימה על האזרחים, והם יודעים שהמשטרה לא תעצור אותם. מתוך 108 מקרי רצח השנה - רק 8 פוענחו! אז המסר לפושעים ברור.


Translated from Hebrew
A 7-year-old girl was just shot in the head in a settlement in Ar'ara in the northern Triangle. This is the situation we've reached - a 7-year-old girl was shot in the head and the doctors are fighting in these very minutes for her life. Crime organizations are running rampant, instilling terror in the citizens, and they know the police won't stop them. Out of 108 murder cases this year - only 8 have been solved! So the message to the criminals is clear.
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9-year-old Allegedly Shot Dead Accidentally by Father During Family Feud in Arab-Israeli Town

'Children should not be dying from gunshots in the street,' said the CEO of Israel's National Council for the Child. Violent crime has taken the lives of 131 people in Israel since the start of this year, including 112 in the country's Arab society.

by Josh Breiner, Adi Hashmonai and and Ido Efrati for Haaretz

May 27, 2026

A 9-year-old girl was fatally shot in the Arab town of Arara in northern Israel on Wednesday, allegedly by her father, who mistakenly shot her during a conflict between family members.

"There was shooting at their house and the girl, who was standing with her dad in the yard, was hit in the head," a resident of the town told Haaretz. He added that he was not aware of any conflict in which the family was involved, adding that "this is a normative family."

The Israel Police arrested several suspects, including the father. Medics evacuated the girl, Layali Jahjah, in critical condition to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Police sources told Haaretz that the extended family had gathered to celebrate Eid al-Adha, saying that the children began arguing among themselves, with the parents trying to intervene. The argument escalated into a violent fight between family members, the sources added.

According to Haaretz's tally, violent crime has taken the lives of 131 people in Israel since the start of this year, including 112 in the country's Arab society.

"Children should not be dying from gunshots in the street. This is a horrific and intolerable tragedy," said Vered Vindman, CEO of the National Council for the Child.

Israel urgently needs "uncompromising enforcement efforts as well as the implementation of social programs to prevent violence in Arab society," she added. "It is not enough to be shocked.

Nihaya Wishahi, a resident of Arara running for the Knesset as part of the left-wing Hadash party, said illegal firearms "have become an existential threat to the entire Arab society," adding that, "When weapons circulate without supervision, without enforcement and without deterrence – the victims are not just 'criminals,' but also innocent boys and girls."

Israel Police and far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir "continue discarding Arab society time and time again," she continued. "Instead of a real emergency plan to collect weapons and protect the lives of civilians, we are witnessing deliberate inaction, disregard, and a policy that leaves an entire public to the mercy of fate."

Last week, hundreds of people demonstrated against the state's neglect of handling crime in Arab society in the northern Israeli Arab town of Jadeidi Makr, a week after the city's local council head and his deputy were shot while leaving an event.

The organizers said that the demonstration was intended to convey a message of anger and distrust towards Israeli authorities amid the continued escalation of violence in Arab society and the feeling that the country's leadership is not taking steps to address the issue of criminal organizations.

According to protesters, the shooting represents an escalation and a line being crossed, with elected officials and heads of authorities now also becoming targets.

Deiaa Haj Yahia contributed to this report.