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 the negligent homicide of Eliav Abukasis and Shahaf Danino, an engaged couple who died in a road accident on Route 310. The couple was killed just four months before their planned wedding.

Abu Arar was also disqualified from driving and ordered to pay NIS 360,000 in compensation, NIS 180,000 to each family. The families of Abukasis and Danino reacted with anger and distress to the sentence, with some members crying and shouting after the verdict was read. The prosecution had sought a sentence of 12 to 16 years.

Judge Noa Hakla'i acknowledged the families' pain, stating that "no words of comfort can ease the deep pain." The accident occurred in February 2025 when Abu Arar, driving with four children in her vehicle, overtook two cars, crossed a dividing line, and entered the oncoming lane at 124 km/h in a 90 km/h zone. Vehicles approaching from the opposite direction had to swerve to avoid her, leading to a head-on collision with the couple's car.

Abukasis was described as an outstanding child, a beloved and special person with aspirations to become a police officer. Danino was characterized as a kind-hearted girl who spread light and was a pillar of support, loving children and planning to start a family with Abukasis. Abu Arar expressed remorse, mentioning that she too had lost a child in a road accident, and stated, "I hope to die every day. My life is ruined. I am mentally destroyed. I don't sleep at all. I am constantly alone thinking about what will happen to my children. I am sorry for everything that happened."