Residents of Buq'ata in the northern Golan Heights said on Saturday they were shocked and furious after a double killing the day before, in which local resident Marwan Abu Shaheen and his friend Saada Saada from Hurfeish were killed. Abu Shaheen reportedly owned a security company, and acquaintances said the motive was his refusal to pay protection money. Police have not yet confirmed that account and said the circumstances were still under investigation.
According to witnesses, the shooting happened around noon on Friday at the entrance to Abu Shaheen’s home. He had invited Saada for coffee, and the two were planning to go cherry picking. Armed assailants then arrived, opened fire on Abu Shaheen and killed him at the scene. Saada was also hit, and rescue teams later pronounced him dead. Saada worked as an insurance agent.
People close to the victims described both men as highly regarded, quiet, and not connected to violence or disputes. They said the case showed how extortion gangs are targeting business owners, and warned that continuing impunity could lead to more murders of the same kind. No suspects have been arrested so far, despite the wave of killings in Israel’s Arab community.
Since the start of the year, 132 people have been murdered in the Arab community in Israel, compared with 122 by June 20 last year. MK Hamad Amar of Yisrael Beiteinu said Friday that the killing was proof that protection rackets had become an uncontrollable national scourge. Meanwhile, in Sakhnin, a video circulated showing masked men firing overnight at businesses and homes, apparently recorded by the gunmen themselves as they reloaded, moved between locations, and spoke with each other before posting the footage online. Police opened an investigation, but no arrests have been reported.
