An 18-year-old Druze woman, Sarit Ahmed Shakour, was fatally shot Friday in what is suspected to be a hate crime related to her sexual orientation near the village of Yarka, Israel. Ahmed, found in the street with multiple gunshot wounds, was rushed to the Galilee Medical Center where she later succumbed to her injuries.
Ahmed, originally from the primarily Druze village of Kisra-Sumei, had previously received death threats from her brothers over her sexual orientation, the daily Haaretz reported. These threats were allegedly prompted by Ahmed’s contact with an individual whom her brothers disapproved of. Following these threats, Ahmed was placed in a shelter for girls, and a family reconciliation process was initiated by police and welfare services.
Despite the reconciliation process, Ahmed reported receiving more threats upon her return home. She was again placed in a shelter, deemed a high-risk case, and later moved in with her sister in another village. Ahmed lodged a final complaint against her brothers for threats to her life last month before her murder took place. No arrests have been made in relation to her murder.
This incident adds to the growing concerns over rising rates of femicide in the Middle East [3] and alleged police inaction against the violence that disproportionately affects Arab communities in Israel.