Murders almost every day in Israel in 2026: "It has become too easy"

Shooting in broad daylight, fear of walking at night in certain areas, murder cases that have become routine, and violence that spills over from known crime hubs into the heart of cities. For many, the sense of personal security is eroding — and the numbers speak for themselves. 201 people have been murdered since the beginning of the year, and if the current pace continues, the number could climb to about 300 by the end of 2026. Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir did promise governance and a fight against crime in his election campaign, but in practice, in his first year, the number of murder victims doubled — from 149 to 300 in 2023. Since then, every year the number of murder victims has reached a similar magnitude: in 2024, 282 people were murdered, and in 2025, 295 were murdered. This year, the average stands at 0.81 murders per day — so if the current trend is not stopped, 2026 will be the fourth consecutive year in which the number of murder victims will total about 300 people. Crime is at its peak during his tenure as minister, but Ben Gvir closes his eyes: "Why not be supportive all the time?" 169 of the murder victims this year are from the Arab society and about 30 are Jews. On July 28, data from the "Hamaniot" association were published, according to which murder cases up to that date left 114 orphans under the age of 18 — nearly half of them toddlers and very young children up to age 6. According to police data provided to the Freedom of Information Movement, within five years the number of murder victims in Israel has almost doubled: from 147 in 2020 to 295 in 2025. The gap between Jewish and Arab society is prominent, but the numbers are rising in both: in 2020, 74 Arab-Israeli men were murdered compared to 19 Jewish men, while in 2025 the numbers stood at 179 and 28 respectively.

"Cannot live in such a world"

Lethal violence does not remain within the boundaries of known criminal disputes. "On the eve of the start of the new judicial year, the judicial system in Israel faces a bloody and dangerous reality that can no longer be ignored," wrote attorney Igal Frey on Facebook, whose friend, attorney Arbel Feldman, was murdered by his client in his office in Rishon LeZion. Later in the post he wrote:

"The blood of lawyers is not cheap! My dear friend, attorney Arbel Feldman (RIP), was murdered in cold blood by a client who harmed him only because the results of the legal proceeding were not to his liking. A lawyer who did his job faithfully paid with his life. We thought it was a red warning sign. We were wrong!"

According to the indictment, Ahmed Al-Rajoub shot Feldman six bullets because he was not satisfied with the pace of progress in the 18,000 shekel claim against the insurance company following a car accident. "The defendant's defense attorney wants to establish a narrative of a financial dispute. This is not a sane line of defense, people don't get murdered because of that, and this line of defense harms my brother's good name," shouted Gonen Feldman while visiting his grave. "Murder in the State of Israel has become too easy. My brother was an easy victim, this is an inconceivable murder. As citizens of the country, we cannot live in such a world. My brother's murder is a result of the devaluation of human life." The brother shared: "We are a normative family, my brother as a lawyer did not deal with criminal law and never fought or argued in the framework of his work — and in the end, violence knocked on our door. There is weapons on the street like chewing gum but there are no judges who will put such people in prison. Let every citizen know that he is not safe in his country. My brother will not come home, but we must as a family and also as a society that this murderer dies in prison. The next murderer needs to know that he will be punished severely."

The helplessness of the authorities was also prominent in the murder case of Lia Malka. Last June, the car in which she was traveling on the Ayalon lanes near the Holon interchange caught fire. The murder investigation reached a dead end, and her former partner, who denied involvement in the event, was released to house arrest. An indictment was filed against the partner for threats against Lia and her father. The transcripts of the messages, which were attached to the indictment, included threats and curses such as "tomorrow is your judgment day," "first your father will get it, and you will cry," "don't put your father in danger," "I haven't seen a girl who puts her father in danger like that," "check with your whore daughter what happened to everyone who harmed me," "I'm committing suicide with you," and "sleep with your eyes open." Yaakov Malka, Lia's father, shared: "He knew his wife exploded and didn't check if the girl was alive. The police failed to obtain evidence for her murder. He threatened me and Lia that he would kill us, and in the meantime my daughter was murdered and he is walking free. They filed an indictment against him for threats. I hope that at least they will settle the score with him in court and there will be a harsh punishment. Yesterday my wife went down to the street with the girl and the dog and they threw a glass bottle at her, and by luck it shattered. I don't know who did it, but just to think who is capable of doing it. It's just scary."

"Shooting at the entrance to our home"

One of the bloodiest cities in Israel is Nazareth, where four people were murdered in the last day and 11 in 2026 as a whole. But the violence on the Arab street does not stop only in Arab localities, but also spills over to Jewish ones — and especially to mixed cities. A sad case study in this context is the city of Jaffa. "This city has always been dangerous," says a young man who lives there and asked to remain anonymous. "It comes and goes, and in recent months murder cases have returned and it's scary. It's sad when you hear about people you knew in childhood who were murdered or wounded." The last murder case in the city occurred this week. On the night between Saturday and Sunday, Muhammad Katuan from Jaljulia was shot to death on Leib ben Sara Street. A few minutes later, a report was received about another shooting on the nearby Rabbi of Lilov Street, and there a young man of about 20 was seriously wounded. The city's residents describe a feeling of fear that prevails in the streets. Vicky, who lives in Jaffa with her family, testifies that the lack of security does not stem only from criminal events. "There is also very excessive driving in Jaffa, they don't stop at red lights. It's not just a matter of shooting," she says. "There is not enough police presence, at least that's how we feel." Vicky returned to live in the city a year ago, but now her family is also considering leaving because of the feeling of lack of security. She said that the private kindergarten where her daughter studied closed a day before the start of the school year, after neighbors threatened the kindergarten. "There is a very uneasy feeling in Jaffa. We will consider leaving soon because we don't feel safe. I really love living here. There is magic in the city and something very special, but the sense of security is very important and currently it doesn't exist." According to her, "two years ago we lived in the area and the sense of security was much stronger. We returned to Jaffa in August a year ago and the situation here is not easy and challenging. There was shooting not only nearby, but right at the entrance to our home. We won't let the children walk around alone in the evening."

Violence does not skip children and teenagers. On June 25, Ahmed Jabari (16) was shot at the entrance to a grocery store on Ibn Rushd Street, near the Midron Park. Another teenager, 15, was moderately wounded. Jabari was evacuated to Wolfson Hospital during resuscitation efforts, but there the doctors were forced to declare his death. Also in this case, the police stated that the background was criminal. Just three days later, on June 28, an explosive device was planted in a car on Saharon Street and Iyad Arav (38) was killed in front of his 6-year-old son, who was with him in the car, was moderately wounded and evacuated to the hospital. The police investigated, among other things, a suspicion of blood revenge for the murder of the teenager Jabari a few days earlier. On January 14, Muhammad Daka, 28, from Jaffa, was shot to death when he left a rehabilitation hostel where he was staying in Pisgat Ze'ev. Shortly before the murder, Daka was released from prison, after being convicted of aiding and abetting murder as part of the gang disputes in Jaffa.