Unprecedented Rise in Femicide Among Arab Women in Israel in Early 2026
Ahead of a Knesset committee discussion on violence against women scheduled for Monday, the Israeli Observatory on Femicide released a mid-year report on femicide cases in the first half of 2026. The report reveals a troubling increase in femicide incidents within the Arab community, despite an overall decline in femicide cases nationwide compared to the same period last year. Notably, 61% of femicide victims in early 2026 were Arab women, predominantly of Bedouin origin, marking the highest recorded proportion relative to their 21% share of the general population.
In the first six months of 2026, 20 women were murdered in Israel, with 13 cases classified as femicide, defined as the killing of women by men due to their gender. The youngest victim was 19-year-old Esma Abu Ghanem from Ramla, who was shot dead after ending a relationship in late June. The average age of victims was 40, ranging from 19 to 65 years old. In 2025, Israel recorded 44 female murders, 34 of which were femicides, the highest annual total to date.
Professor Shalva Weil, lead researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and head of the Israeli Observatory on Femicide, explained the challenges in distinguishing femicide from other types of murder, noting police often initially categorize such killings as criminal rather than gender-based. The report also highlights that most Arab femicide victims were killed with firearms, usually by current or former partners, contrasting with Jewish victims who were more often stabbed or run over. The rise in firearm use in Arab femicides was first noted in 2025, prompting calls for stricter policies to reduce illegal weapon circulation in Arab communities.
Additionally, the Abraham Initiatives reported 144 murder victims in the first half of 2026, rising to 148 by the report date, an 18% increase from the previous year. Among these were 12 female victims, including a 9-year-old girl shot by her father. Professor Weil emphasized that while the second half of the year could bring changes, the current data reflect an unprecedented high rate of femicide among Arab women relative to their population size, even as overall femicide rates have decreased compared to last year.
