Two young men were killed and a third was injured Monday afternoon in a shooting that stemmed from a long-running feud between two Bedouin clans in the northern Negev Desert.
Louie Abu Savit, 23, and Omar Abu Savit, 27, were both shot to death in the attack. A third victim was injured. All three of the victims were Negev Bedouin.An initial police investigation revealed that the shooting took place against the backdrop of a long-standing blood feud between the Abu Savit and Abu Elkayan families.
A homicide probe into the shooting has been transferred to the central Negev division, where connections with Bedouin and other Muslim leaders have been helpful in past investigations.
“It is likely that the local Council of Sheikhs will get involved,” said a local Bedouin source, who asked not to be identified when speaking with Arutz Sheva about the incident.“Southern district police are very wise in maintaining ties with the Bedouin community leaders here, and when it is necessary, they cooperate on such matters to formulate strategies to resolve such cases.”
The incident occurred at the entrance to the Bedouin town of Hura, along Route 31 near the Shoquet junction, a few minutes north of Be'er Sheva.It is not clear whether one or both families live in the town, built with the assistance of the Israeli government in 1990. Hura was officially declared a local council in 1996 and is home to at least 16,600 residents.