New Details Emerge in Fatal Shooting Near Golani Junction

Israeli police have arrested three residents of Tur'an, including a couple, in connection with the murder of Rabea Abidi, 38, in the Lavi Forest in the Lower Galilee. Abidi, from the Palestinian village of Zububa in the northern West Bank, is suspected by police to have been murdered due to his demand for compensation from some of the detainees. The suspects are to be brought before the Magistrate's Court in Nazareth for an extension of their remand.

Abidi's body was discovered by police on Thursday afternoon. A large contingent of officers from the Northern District arrived at the scene and launched an investigation. Paramedics pronounced Abidi dead at the scene. The three suspects, a couple in their 50s and a man in his 20s, were arrested overnight by investigators from the Northern District's Central Unit.

Investigators suspect that a dispute arose between Abidi and the detainees over compensation following his decision to end his two-year employment at a construction company owned by some of the suspects. Police believe the detainees contacted Abidi, who had recently been working in Umm al-Fahm, and asked him to meet near the Golani Junction to resolve the financial dispute. It is suspected that Abidi was beaten to death during this meeting.

Kamal, Abidi's brother, told Ynet that his brother had been working with him in Umm al-Fahm and had not come to work on Thursday due to illness. He stated that the family became concerned when Abidi did not return home and their calls went unanswered, before they learned of his death. Kamal added, "We know who the suspects are in the murder. Rabea was murdered because he demanded compensation for two years of work. It is very sad that someone who demands his rights is exposed to threats and murder. They murdered him cruelly, threw his body in an open area, after they tortured him." Abidi was married with three children.