Israeli organized crime

'Hijacked by criminal gangs': How gangs, weapons took over Israel's Arab streets

ARAB AFFAIRS: Gangs dominate Arab cities, violence has reached new heights, with daily murders and shootings. Fear and anxiety grip residents, with little hope for safety or justice.

JANUARY 9, 2026|ByDANA BEN-SHIMON

MANY ILLEGAL weapons in the Arab community are stolen from Israeli army bases, while others are smuggled from the borders with Jordan and Egypt. Here, illegal weapons are displayed after a police operation against illegal gun dealers, in Nazareth in 2021.

Israeli security forces are seen at the scene where three men were shot dead by assassins in the city of Shefa-Amr, northern Israel, January 7, 2026.

It's time Israel recognizes Arab sector homicides as a national crisis - opinion

The murder rate in the Arab sector is not just a tragedy for Arab citizens. It is an indictment of the state.

JANUARY 9, 2026|ByYAAKOV KATZ

Israeli police arrested senior Bakri crime group members and municipal officials in Nazareth overnight in the “Maze of Money” case targeting extortion and money laundering on December 9th, 2025.

Lahav 433, Tax Authority arrest seven for suspected extortion, money laundering, tax fraud

Seven members of the Bakri crime organization were arrested following an investigation carried out by multiple law enforcement agencies, including Lahav 433 and the Tax Authority.

JANUARY 6, 2026|ByGOLDIE KATZ

Nidal Abu Latif, who was arrested in a major police operation earlier today, is brought for a court hearing at the Nazareth Magistrate's Court on February 8, 2023.

Prosecutors file intent to indict Abu Latif crime boss, others in ‘Prince’ extortion affair

Police say the probe uncovered a network of extortion and financial offenses involving millions of shekels, carried out over a period of roughly five years.

JANUARY 5, 2026|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

30-year-old known criminal shot in Tel Aviv in suspected assassination

Izzat Hamed was the head of a criminal organization in Jaffa and was reportedly known to the police as someone involved in extortion and bribery-related crimes.

JULY 18, 2021ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF