Five people were murdered across Israel within a single 12-hour period over the weekend, including two car bombings, prompting Police Commissioner Danny Levy to convene an emergency meeting Monday evening with senior command staff to address what officials are calling an unprecedented surge in organized crime violence.
The bloodshed unfolded in rapid succession: a murder in Tira, a car bomb explosion in Jaffa, two men shot dead in Kalansua, and a separate car bomb in Holon that killed a man in his thirties. The twin car bombings join a string of at least six vehicle bomb assassinations in recent months alone. In most cases the targets are criminals killed in underworld disputes, though one recent case involved a man who ordered the bombing assassination of his former partner.
Monday's emergency session, which will include the most senior levels of Israel Police leadership, will examine all available tools and strategies to combat organized crime networks, with particular focus on the wave of car bomb killings and the relentless gun violence ravaging Arab communities across the country.
The numbers behind the crisis are stark. Since January 1, 166 people have been murdered in Israel. Of those, 143 were killed within the Arab sector.
The meeting comes amid pointed criticism that the response has been too slow and too small. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has repeatedly promised to restore governance and law and order, had not commented on the day's killings as of Monday morning, a silence that drew immediate notice.
Israel is fighting wars on multiple fronts. But for the families of 166 murder victims since January, the war closest to home has been going largely unanswered.
