27-year-old seriously injured in shooting in Kafr Qara; police launch manhunt

A 27-year-old was seriously injured Saturday in a shooting incident in the Arab town of Kafr Qara in northern Israel.

Paramedics took the man to the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera.

Police said they were carrying out searches of the area in an effort to apprehend the assailants and had collected forensic evidence at the scene.

According to reports, investigators believed that the shooting had a criminal motive.

Kafr Qara has been the site of numerous violent incidents in the past few years. Last year, the death of a 25-year-old resident of the town led to a protest attended by hundreds of Arab Israelis

Arab communities have seen a surge in violence in recent years, driven mainly, but not only, by organized crime. Arab Israelis blame the police, who they say have failed to crack down on powerful criminal organizations and largely ignore the violence, which includes family feuds, mafia turf wars, and violence against women.

The community has also suffered from decades of neglect.