Three Indicted for Premeditated Murder of Tayibe Businessman Raed Hajj Yahya
Prosecutors filed murder charges against three Tayibe residents for the September 10 shooting of businessman Raed Hajj Yahya, highlighting a meticulously planned assassination amid rising crime.
The Central District Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment at the Central District Court in Lod on Sunday against three residents of Tayibe, charging them with the premeditated murder of local businessman Raed Hajj Yahya, who was shot dead in the city on September 10.
The defendants are 30-year-old Adham Jabali, along with 28-year-old Ahmad Masarwa and 28-year-old Muhammad Jabali. In addition to murder and weapons offenses, Adham Jabali faces charges of driving while disqualified and without insurance.
According to the indictment, the three meticulously planned the assassination. They acquired a vehicle equipped with counterfeit license plates originating from the West Bank, secured a loaded firearm, and assigned specific roles among themselves. Adham monitored the victim's residence, while Muhammad and Ahmad waited in the getaway car on a nearby street.
When Hajj Yahya drove out of his home, Muhammad and Ahmad blocked his path. Ahmad emerged from the vehicle and fired approximately 14 rounds at close range, subsequently shooting him again to ensure his death. Following the shooting, the perpetrators fled the scene, and the victim was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Later that night, the getaway vehicle was found burned in Tayibe.
The prosecution has requested that the defendants be held in custody until the conclusion of legal proceedings, emphasizing their brazen conduct in carrying out a shooting in broad daylight in the heart of Tayibe in front of eyewitnesses. Hajj Yahya, a 50-year-old owner of a staffing agency, was killed amid a surge of violent crime that has claimed approximately 170 lives within the Arab community since the beginning of the year.
