Woman Buying Sweets Murdered in Grenade Attack in Northern Israel

A 60-year-old woman, Lina Qassem (Zidan) from Daliyat al-Karmel, was killed when an explosive device was thrown at a business in the village of Manda. Qassem had gone out to buy sweets and was struck by shrapnel from the grenade, which detonated in front of her husband. She was rushed to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, where she was pronounced dead about an hour later. Her death marks the 20th femicide in the Arab community in Israel this year.

Three other people were injured in the blast, including Qassem's husband, who was reportedly run over by the perpetrators. Two of the injured, a man and a woman both around 50 years old, sustained moderate wounds, while another person was lightly injured. They were transported to Rambam Medical Center and the Italian Hospital in Nazareth.

Residents reported a recent increase in shooting and grenade-throwing incidents in the area, with some incidents documented on social media. They stated, "The writing was on the wall." Another grenade was thrown elsewhere in the village around the same time as the attack on the confectionery.

Witnesses described scenes of panic, with one stating the explosion shook the entire area and caused flying glass. "We thought a missile had exploded," they said, adding that they rushed for cover, fearing for their lives.

Police and Border Police forces launched a large-scale search and operational activity. Three suspects were arrested in connection with the grenade throwing, and the vehicle believed to have been used by them was located and hidden. Authorities are investigating the possibility that the suspects intended to target a specific individual and attacked a relative's business when they could not find their intended victim, though this remains unconfirmed.

Police Commissioner Danny Levi visited the scene and was briefed on the investigation. He called it a "very difficult evening" and vowed that the perpetrators, and whoever sent them, would be brought to justice. Levi pledged continued action against crime organizations in the Arab community, stating, "We are winning within this long and difficult war, but today is a kind of loss, but we will not give up."