Two Arab citizens, including a young mother, were killed within hours of each other in separate shootings as Israel marked the start of Memorial Day on Monday night, amid a violent crime wave that continues to beset Israel’s Arab community.

Ahmad Issa, a young man in his 20s, was shot and killed late last night in Kafr Qasim in central Israel. He was taken to the hospital by paramedics but soon pronounced dead by medical staff.

Police in an initial statement said they launched an investigation into his death, which they suspect is linked to an “ongoing blood feud” in the city. No arrests have yet been reported.

Earlier that night, at around 9:30 p.m., paramedics found a young woman unconscious and suffering from a critical bullet wound to the head near Rahat, a Bedouin city in Israel’s south.

The victim, 27-year-old Sabrine al-Ataiqah, was treated on site, then taken to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. Medical staff declared her dead soon after she arrived at the hospital.

The young mother, who lived in the city, leaves behind........

© The Times of Israel