Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Lod following yet another killing that has shaken the city. He was joined by the minister in charge of police, and together they attended a city council meeting and delivered firm statements. “I am not prepared for Lod to be the Wild West,” Netanyahu declared. “We will not allow crime, violence and lawbreakers to run rampant. The goal is to restore security here to Lod. The commitment of any government to its citizens is security.”
Those remarks, however, were not delivered this week. Netanyahu made them in October 2010. More than 15 years have passed, and residents of Lod say they are still waiting for those promises to be fulfilled.
According to data from the Abraham Initiatives, 68 people were killed in Lod between 2020 and 2026. Thirteen were killed last year. Two more have been killed since the beginning of the current year.
The latest victim was Hussein Abu Rakiq, 64, a father of three and grandfather, who left his home last Thursday at 5:15 a.m. for what was supposed to be another routine day at work as a cleaner at a bank campus in the city’s northern industrial zone. As he crossed a crosswalk on his way to work, assailants who appeared suddenly opened fire and fled.
At 5:49 a.m., Magen David Adom received a report of a man bleeding at the scene. Medical teams pronounced Abu Rakiq dead shortly afterward. Family members said he was not involved in crime and was mistakenly identified as belonging to a family embroiled in a violent feud with another family in Lod.
“He was a family man. His life was work and home,” said his wife, Kamla Abu Rakiq. “Such a good person. He never bothered anyone. He would not even scold the children.”
She said a neighbor called her after the shooting to ask if he was safe. “I called him and he did not answer. I ran there and saw him lying dead on the road,” she said. “He lay there for three or four hours before they evacuated him.”
Police patrol officers sealed off the scene to prevent contamination, hoping forensic investigators would find evidence leading to the gunmen. Cmdr. Meidad Lavi, 46, who had been promoted only days earlier and taken command of the Lod police station, arrived at the scene. It was his first homicide scene in the city.
Lod’s skyline is dotted with cranes, reflecting rapid development. High-rise buildings are being constructed around the old city, urban renewal projects are underway, and commercial and leisure zones are expanding. Nearly 100,000 residents now live in Lod, about one-third of them Arab citizens. Yet criminal elements continue to disrupt that growth.
“There is a sense of fear,” one resident told ynet at the scene of another recent killing, that of Omar Taisir al-Shamali, who was shot near the district court and a shopping mall three weeks ago. Gunmen chased his vehicle until it crashed into a pole at a central intersection, then opened fire in front of passersby. Two others were wounded.
“There is no law and no judge,” said the resident, who lives above the intersection and asked not to be named. “A murder can happen here at any time. The crime must be eradicated with a firm hand, and I expect police to think outside the box.”
That expectation is shared by district police commander Amir Cohen, who assumed his post two and a half months ago, and by Lavi, whom he appointed to Lod. At a recent change-of-command ceremony, Cohen told Lavi: “I am placing great responsibility in your hands. Lawbreakers will feel pursued by the law, and the normative citizen will receive service with silk gloves. The kindergarten will not only be open, but safe.”
The two have worked together before. On Oct. 7, 2023, Cohen fought and was wounded in the battle at the Sderot police station and gave the order to collapse the building on Hamas terrorists barricaded inside. Lavi later took command of that station, whose officers suffered eight fatalities in the fighting. Mayor Revivo said he hopes to see that same “fighting spirit” brought to Lod.
Lavi’s first decision as commander was to relocate from Sderot to Lod with his family. “As a station commander, I cannot arrive at a murder scene when I am no longer relevant to the event,” he said. The move also answered Revivo’s longstanding complaint that Lod has seen nine station commanders in 13 years. In November 2025, the mayor wrote an angry letter to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, demanding that the next commander commit to serving at least three years.
“This may be the first time in 30 years that a police station commander will live in the city,” Revivo said. “He will hear the muezzin, the bursts of gunfire and meet the residents. He is saying in action, not just words, ‘I am here with you.’”
Over the years, Revivo has sharply criticized what he describes as a lack of governance and declining personal security. While Lod is not exceptional in rates of theft, robbery, sexual offenses or car theft compared with other cities, it has been deeply affected by cycles of blood feuds within the Arab community.
“Our city is bleeding because of dozens of disputes between families in the Arab community, which pull in relatives from third, fourth and even more distant circles,” said city council member and attorney Abd Azbaraga. “Sometimes a victim’s only ‘crime’ is distant family ties.”
“Most Arab residents in the city are normative citizens who oppose the murders in Lod and across Israel,” Azbaraga said. “Hundreds of Arab families in Lod are in the circle of bereavement from criminal murders. Every such killing devastates the immediate and extended family economically and socially. Today, an Arab resident of Lod does not know when a bullet will hit him.”
Asked about police expectations that residents file complaints or testify, Azbaraga said: “As of today, this is unrealistic. You can complain today and get a bullet tomorrow. A small complaint can open a new blood feud. Police have intelligence and the ability to solve these crimes, but as an Arab resident, I do not feel protected around the clock.”
Lavi said he understands the complexity and acknowledged shortages of officers and patrol vehicles. One senior municipal official said that demolishing illegal construction or staging large Border Police raids does not create a sense of personal security for residents who rarely see patrol cars on daily errands.
To address manpower shortages, a housing initiative called “Project Key” has been launched. Two eight-story buildings have been designated for rental to police officers, including single officers, who will pay 430 shekels per month for shared apartments. In exchange for serving in Lod, Ramle or the traffic police, they will also work four days a week.
Currently, Lod police have only 15 registered volunteers, and Lavi wants to expand that number. “Step under the stretcher,” he urged residents. “Help me strengthen the police.”
At the same time, Lavi announced the establishment of a dedicated riot-control unit for Lod consisting of 40 officers equipped with vans, motorcycles and advanced tactical gear. Unlike regional units operating across multiple cities, this unit will be assigned specifically to Lod. The goal, he said, is to confront key drivers of crime, particularly illegal firearms.
Gunfire incidents are not limited to targeted killings. Last Friday, residents preparing for the Sabbath heard bursts of celebratory gunfire at a wedding. Within minutes, the bride, groom and several guests were taken in for questioning, and the wedding tent was dismantled.
Revivo said that in such incidents his phone “collapses with messages,” reflecting widespread anxiety. He added that residents are calling the police hotline less frequently because of declining public trust. Local WhatsApp groups have become the primary source of updates after each burst of gunfire, often from long firearms audible across the city.
Lavi urged residents to report incidents directly. “Call 100 for any suspected criminal event,” he said. “Writing in WhatsApp groups is not a substitute.”
The violence in Lod is part of a broader surge in homicides within the Arab community. In 2025 alone, a record 252 people were killed, and most cases remain unsolved.
Revivo has called for the Shin Bet to assist in combating crime organizations and illegal weapons. He said he and his brother recently met with incoming Shin Bet chief David Zini.
“He was the first to say he is ready to step under the stretcher,” Revivo said. “But he also said that to do so, he would need expanded resources, such as establishing a division to deal with the issue. The Shin Bet has technological capabilities and field personnel who can provide an appropriate response.”
Expanding those resources would take time, and many within the police are not convinced Shin Bet involvement is the solution. A senior police officer said the agency has no “magic wand” and argued that with enhanced technological tools and legal authorities, police could address the problem just as effectively. Legislation that would allow police to resume use of spyware remains stalled in parliament.
“On the day Hussein was killed, five people were murdered across the country,” friends of Kamla Abu Rakiq said as they sat with her at home. “People no longer argue — they come and kill. This must stop. Where does all this weaponry come from? Our children go to work in fear. Sadly, Hussein’s murder does not move anyone.”