Grenade Attack Kills Woman Buying Birthday Cake; Four Arrested

By חסן שעלאן, איתן גליקמן

Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba

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A criminal attack in Kafr Manda resulted in the death of Lina Qassem, who was struck by a grenade thrown from a passing car while she was exiting a store. Four suspects have been arrested and their detention extended. Her husband, Ziad Qassem, was also injured by shrapnel. Another survivor, Afif Sami, recounted her miraculous escape from the blast. Police Commissioner Dany Levy visited the scene and vowed to combat escalating violence in Arab communities.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Lina Qassem was killed in Kafr Manda after a grenade was thrown from a passing vehicle.
Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the fatal criminal attack.
The victim's husband, Ziad Qassem, was injured by shrapnel during the incident.
Survivor Afif Sami described her escape from the blast as a miracle.
Police Commissioner Dany Levy vowed to combat escalating violence in Arab communities.

Grenade Attack Kills Woman Buying Birthday Cake; Four Arrested — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

A new video from Kafr Manda captures the moment a grenade was thrown from a passing vehicle, striking Lina Qassem and causing her death in what police are calling a criminal attack. The footage shows the perpetrators throwing the grenade as Qassem exited a business. The vehicle's mirror reportedly hit her before the suspects fled. Moments later, the grenade exploded, and Qassem, who was buying a birthday cake for her granddaughter, collapsed. Police have arrested four suspects from Ilut, Reineh, and Zarzir, and their detention was extended for eight days by the Nazareth Magistrate's Court. They were being interrogated by the Northern District's Central Unit.

Ziad Qassem, Lina's husband from Daliyat al-Karmel, stated he was also injured by shrapnel from the explosion. "I was on the steps of the business, and suddenly they threw a grenade. I got hit in the hand (with shrapnel), and my wife died," he told Ynet. He described his wife as a "good, working, breadwinning woman who supported the family," noting his own disability prevents him from working. He expressed shock, saying, "I didn't expect something like this to happen."

Afif Sami, 56, from Fardis, also survived the blast. "A miracle happened to me," she recounted from her hospital bed at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, where she is being treated for shrapnel wounds. She explained she had just paid for cookies when the explosion occurred. "I felt myself bleeding. People started screaming. Since then, I've been here at Rambam, I don't remember much, just a loud noise, a lot of smoke, and loud screams from people." Her daughter Maria and sisters Wafa and Sofi were at her bedside, with family members expressing relief at her survival but questioning how long such violence will continue.

Police located the suspected vehicle and arrested three suspects shortly after the attack. However, residents of Kafr Manda believe the attack was predictable, citing a recent series of shootings and grenade incidents in the village, including another one the previous day. Witnesses described the explosion shaking the area, with flying glass and panicked people. Police Commissioner Dany Levy visited the scene, calling it a "very difficult evening" and vowing to continue the fight against criminals in Arab villages and towns, despite the day's tragic loss.