Women's Homicide Rate Drops 41%, But Effectiveness of Police Efforts Questioned

Official statistics released by Israel Police indicate a 41% decrease in the number of women murdered since the beginning of 2026 compared to the same period in the previous year. However, attorney Abeer Bakr expressed caution regarding interpreting this figure as a definitive success for the police.

According to the data, 20 women have been killed since the start of 2026, down from 34 in the corresponding period of 2025. Within the Arab community, 14 women have been murdered this year, a 30% decrease from 20 in the same period last year.

Bakr stated that while the reduction in homicides is positive, it requires further data to assess police effectiveness. She emphasized the need to examine the preventative measures taken, such as the number of protection orders issued and how complaints from abused women were handled. She argued that a true success would be measured by the number of women protected before a crime occurs, not just the number of victims after the fact.

Bakr also highlighted a significant disparity within the Arab community, where Arab women constitute a disproportionately high percentage of victims. She suggested that some women may not report abuse to the police due to economic dependence or fear of repercussions, and that addressing violence requires a multi-faceted approach involving social services and economic empowerment, not solely law enforcement.

She further noted that past attempts to obtain data on women who reported threats before being murdered have been met with incomplete information from the police. Bakr stressed that combating violence against women is a shared responsibility among the police, social welfare services, women's organizations, and society as a whole, advocating for continuous, daily attention to the issue rather than a reactive approach.