Driver Sentenced to 7 Years for Fatal Crash Killing Engaged Couple

A Beersheba District Court has sentenced Suria Abu Arar to seven years in prison for causing the deaths of fiancés Shahaf Danino and Eliab Abukasis in a fatal road accident. Abu Arar was convicted of two counts of reckless homicide and one count of illegal overtaking, receiving a prison sentence, a driving license suspension, and an order to pay 360,000 shekels in compensation to the victims' families.

The tragic incident occurred in February 2025 when the couple was returning from a strawberry-picking trip. Abu Arar, driving with her four children, was attempting to overtake two vehicles on Route 310. She crossed a solid line and accelerated to 124 kph in the oncoming lane, continuing the dangerous maneuver for several seconds despite clear visibility of oncoming traffic and opportunities to return to her lane. One vehicle swerved to avoid her, and Abu Arar subsequently lost control, colliding head-on with the couple's car.

Shahaf Danino's father, Gadi Danino, a senior Magen David Adom paramedic, was called to the scene and was shocked to discover his daughter and her fiancé were the victims. The court heard that the couple was just four months away from their wedding.

During the sentencing, the courtroom was filled with emotional outbursts from the victims' families. Outside the courthouse, relatives of Abu Arar reportedly threw stones at the victims' families, leading to two arrests by police. The prosecution had sought a sentence of 12 to 16 years, citing Abu Arar's reckless driving and high speed.

Presiding Judge Noa Haklay acknowledged the families' "unimaginable pain" and spoke of the victims: Eliab, who aspired to be a police officer, and Shahaf, a kindergarten teacher. The judge noted that Abu Arar expressed deep remorse, cited ongoing psychiatric treatment, and shared her own past tragedy of losing a son in a road accident.