“The days when police were endangered and harmed without a response are over.”

By World Israel News Staff

A suspect was shot and killed overnight during a police operation in the Bedouin village of Tarabin in Israel’s Negev, as security forces intensified a broad crackdown on violent crime, illegal weapons, and nationalist attacks that have escalated in the area in recent weeks.

According to Israel Police, officers from a special unit, operating together with Border Police National Guard fighters, entered the village late Saturday night to arrest suspects involved in recent “price tag” incidents.

During the operation, one suspect endangered the force and was shot. He was later pronounced dead. The suspect was identified as Muhammad Hussein Tarabin, also known as al-Sana, a resident of the village.

The shooting came as part of a broader, open-ended police operation in Tarabin that has seen hundreds of officers and Border Police National Guard troops deployed, the village sealed off, and a temporary command center established. Police have arrested at least 16 suspects on weapons charges and seized military-grade firearms believed to have been stolen from Israel Defense Forces bases.

The crackdown followed violent clashes in which officers were filmed retreating from stone-throwing crowds, as well as a series of arson and rock-throwing attacks targeting nearby Jewish communities, including the area around Giv’ot Bar.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir issued a strong statement backing the officers involved and praising the intensified enforcement in the Negev.

“Good morning, dear residents. First of all, it is a good morning, truly a good one,” Ben-Gvir said in a message circulated to the public. “I fully back our fighters. For 30 years they did not receive backing. Too often there were ministers who asked, ‘How? What? Why?’ I say something very simple. When the lives of our fighters are endangered, it is absolutely right that they act as they are acting.”

Ben-Gvir said the suspect who was killed was “a serious criminal, suspected of imposing terror on Negev residents,” and stressed that decisive action is necessary to restore deterrence.

“Anyone who endangers our police officers and fighters must be neutralized, and it is good that this is the case,” he said. “The days when police were endangered and harmed without a response are over.” He added that police would continue operating “in Tarabin in particular and in the Negev in general, in order to restore governance.”

Arab and left-wing lawmakers condemned the operation and the minister’s remarks. Hadash-Ta’al Chairman Ayman Odeh accused Ben-Gvir of incitement in a social media post and called on opposition leaders to condemn the incident and visit the village. Ra’am lawmaker Walid Al-Huashla described the shooting as a dangerous escalation and demanded an investigation, claiming officers acted without justification.

Representatives of the Bedouin public echoed those criticisms, calling for Ben-Gvir’s dismissal and an independent probe. Police and government officials rejected the accusations, saying the operation targets heavily armed criminal elements responsible for widespread lawlessness and attacks that have endangered communities across the Negev, and stressing that enforcement efforts will continue as long as necessary to restore security.

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