Khaled and Hanan Jamal were shot dead on Thursday in Kalansawa while on their way to work at a nursing home. According to the assessment reported in the article, the couple were not involved in the feud behind the attack, the gunmen had been looking for relatives of theirs and, when they could not find them, opened fire on the spouses instead. Since the start of 2026, 130 people have been killed in the Arab community.
Muhammad Jamal, the slain man’s brother, said he was shocked and stressed that Khaled had not been feuding with anyone. “I did not expect him to be murdered. The situation is very difficult and life cannot continue while people are being killed everywhere every day,” he said. The couple’s son-in-law, Muhammad Sharif, said the family could not absorb the tragedy and described the victims as among the kindest people they knew, adding that they devoted their lives to raising their children, supported their education, and were known for good deeds.
Local resident Nidal Taya said he knew the family well and that all the children were doctors and nurses. He said the murder shook Arab towns and villages, and warned, “If Khaled and his wife were killed, that means we are all in danger.” Other residents said they feared further revenge attacks, describing the situation as unbearable and saying the feud had already caused several deaths. They noted that only a month earlier, two young men from the city were killed and another person was badly wounded.
The article also described a separate killing on Wednesday: Samir Abu Araar of Arara in the Negev was murdered after returning from work with other laborers. At the entrance to the town, another vehicle blocked their car, masked gunmen forced the driver and passengers out, left Samir in the car, and shot him. One worker pleaded, “This is a poor, simple man, leave him alone,” and one gunman replied, “Keep shooting him until he dies.” Residents said Abu Araar had recently been happy after his sons’ wedding less than a month earlier, and that he was an honest, humble man who avoided conflict. They said he too was killed in a feud that had nothing to do with him.
