(haipo) 53 people have been murdered in Arab society since the beginning of 2026. Two of them were shot to death last night (Wednesday, February 18, 2026), in the Halisa neighborhood of Haifa. Another shooting incident that joins a bloody string of murders in the city and the north in general, and heightens the sense of loss of personal safety on the streets.
Against the backdrop of the difficult data, the management of the Local Government Center convened on Thursday morning (2/19/26) for a special emergency discussion with the Police Commissioner, Major General Daniel Levy, with the aim of formulating immediate steps to deal with the rising violence in Arab society.
“National emergency”
The discussion was attended by the senior police command staff and over 100 heads of authorities from all sectors. The heads of Arab authorities presented a difficult picture of the daily harm to innocent citizens, who are paying a heavy price in blood.
Chairman of the Local Government Center, Haim Bivas, He defined the situation as a "national emergency": "53 murders since the beginning of 2026 are evidence that significant change and closer integration of forces than ever before between the police and the field are required. This violence is terrorism in every sense of the word, these are criminal organizations that behave like a state within a state. We appealed to the Prime Minister with a demand to activate all means, including the capabilities of the Shin Bet, to dismantle the organizations and eliminate their economic infrastructure."
Mazen Ganaim, Chairman of the Arab Mayors' Forum and Mayor of Sakhnin, He described the sense of urgency in the Arab communities: “We want everyone to understand that this is a shared destiny. The engineer, the doctor, the teacher, everyone wants to return home safely. It’s crazy that this is the only request we have right now.”
Police: “An uncompromising war”
Police Commissioner, Lt. Col. Daniel Levy, He stressed that the police are engaged in a “resolute, continuous and uncompromising fight” against crime in Arab society, until the criminal organizations collapse and the illegal weapons infrastructure is dismantled. According to him, all police districts have been instructed to use the full force of special units, intelligence, high-quality investigations and overt and covert operations to target the leaders of the organizations and those who finance and operate them. “This is a war on human lives, on families, on children, and on the future of Arab society and Israeli society as a whole,” he said.
Among the measures discussed: increased police presence and patrols in hot spots, national operations to confiscate illegal weapons, expanding the use of advanced technological means and increasing the percentage of decryptions. The need to increase public awareness regarding the importance of reporting to the police and avoiding taking the law into one's own hands was also emphasized.
Haifa is bleeding
The two murdered in Halisa join a string of murders in the city in recent years. A reality that undermines the sense of security of Haifa residents.
The Haifa Municipality responded:
First, it should be clarified that criminal offenses, including serious crimes, are the responsibility and handling of the Israel Police. The Haifa Municipality operates in full cooperation with the police and assists them as necessary within the framework of their powers.
The Haifa Municipality operates a wide array of measures to strengthen the sense of security in public spaces and reduce criminal phenomena. Over 600 municipal security cameras are deployed throughout the city, located in public gardens and parks, crowded places of residence, and central public spaces, including the Sirkin complex, Talpiot Market, public parks, and other areas.
The municipal camera array is connected to the Haifa Municipality's operational center, and the cameras are equipped with advanced analytical capabilities for automatic identification of unusual activity, for the purpose of rapid response and coordination with the relevant enforcement agencies.
Alongside this, the "Oz" unit operates in Haifa, which conducts proactive patrols throughout the day and night in areas that have been defined as needing focused activity, including Hadar, the lower city, the Halisa neighborhood and Neve Sha'anan. In other areas of the city, proactive activity is taking place, as well as responding to calls from the municipal enforcement department, through foot and mounted patrols. The municipality will continue to work, in cooperation with the Israel Police and all enforcement agencies, to strengthen the personal security of Haifa residents."
The response is organized. The cameras are deployed. The patrols are underway. But on the ground, people continue to be murdered.
The missing report
Beyond the personal tragedies and the emergency debate, another disturbing question arises: Why hasn't the Israel Police published a comprehensive annual report on its activities and crime data for two years?
Since the establishment of the state, the police have published a comprehensive annual report that includes crime data, trends, geographic segments, enforcement data, indictments, and weapons seizures. However, the 2024 report has not been published and we are already in February 2026. The 2025 report has not yet been published, although here it can be argued that sufficient time has not yet passed.
The absence of a 2024 report raises questions: Is this a technical delay? A shortage of manpower? Or a decision not to reveal the full picture precisely in years when public criticism of police performance is increasing?
It's true that the police publish data on the government website, but these are raw and complex files that are no substitute for a comprehensive report that is accessible and clear to the public. An annual report is not just an Excel spreadsheet. It is a policy document. It is a public statement. It is a responsibility.
Between statistics and life itself
Behind every number stands a family. Behind every report that goes unpublished stands a public sense of distrust. When crime figures are climbing, when illegal weapons are flowing through the streets, and when 53 people have already lost their lives since the beginning of the year, the public has a right to know: How many cases have been opened? How many have been solved? How many indictments have been filed? Where are the phenomena focused? And what is really being done to stop them?
Haifa, like many cities in Israel, simply wants to live. To raise children without fear of nighttime gunfire. To open businesses without paying sponsorship fees. To sit in a public garden without thinking about the next headline. But until the full picture is presented, the questions will continue to resonate. And the numbers? They don't wait for the report.
The police have yet to respond.
Publish the type and source of the weapon:
Stolen, IDF, police, improvised, "cold" weapon...
Has anyone been prosecuted for neglect, do you know? ….
😍1 of the solutions to the "riddle-mystery" embodies within it
A possibility, on the face of it… also in his pockets… and even in his money… lies the “weapon”, waiting to be collected… because he himself is already tired of being the “guilty one”….!!!@@@
* A "weapons collection operation" must take place with utmost urgency from every home in "Israel", because not even a single "ordinary" citizen needs it, unless it's a "toy" in imitation of the Cowboy character from the "Wild West"...!!!@@@😭😭😭