Funeral of Bedouin Arab man shot and killed by Israeli police in southern Israel

(5 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tarabin, Israel - 5 January 2026
1. Mourners laying body on ground inside mosque
2. Various exteriors of prayers
3. Mourners carrying body during funeral procession
4. Various of funeral procession
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Walid Alhawashla, Arab Knesset member:
“Recently, there has been pressure from the extremist minister (Itamar) Ben-Gvir on families in the Negev region due to the approaching elections in Israel, and he is always trying to drag the Negev area into conflict for political gain.”
6. Mid of mourners during funeral
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Walid Alhawashla, Arab Knesset member:
“We first demand first the formation of an investigation committee that is impartial. The other demand is that the police arrest the perpetrator instead of releasing him, as they have done. This police officer is responsible for the blood of the martyr Muhammed Tarabin. These are the demands. The other demands relate to the way the state and the government deal with the families in the Negev region. It is not possible to continue or accept this situation and the pressure being imposed on the residents. Another demand is the withdrawal of all police forces that Ben-Gvir has deployed to the Negev region, and that we be treated like other citizens.”
8. Various of funeral
9. Various of mourners sitting during funeral
10. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Kobi Harush, Deputy Superintendent, spokesperson for the southern District:
"Regarding the operational area, the area of activity is broad, it's very broad. It is an operational area of whole actually... of the entire Negev district and Rotem district. Just yesterday, we seized 11 weapons, we seized grenades, and we seized weapons that absolutely constitute a serious blow and are drivers of crime. And in general, anyone who thinks they can raise their head and carry out a shooting or commit violent offenses — we are deployed here throughout the entire area, on the traffic routes, in the traffic, preventing violent offenses, and in practice strengthening governance here in the South, also for the benefit of the normative citizens who live here and want quiet, including within Arab society."
11. Various of police forces and vehicles in area
STORYLINE:
Mourners mourned on Monday the death of 36-year-old Muhammed Hussein Tarabin, a Bedouin Arab man who was shot and killed by Israeli police during an overnight raid in his village in southern Israel.

The shooting of Tarabin threatened to worsen the already strained relations between the Israeli government and the country’s Bedouin minority.

Israeli police have been conducting a large-scale operation in the village of Tarabin for the past week in what they describe as a crackdown on local crime.

Israeli police said they opened fire on a man who had “endangered” forces during an arrest raid.

The Israeli news site Haaretz cited relatives as saying Tarabin, whose family name shares the name of the village, was in his home.

In a video statement, Tarabin’s 11-year-old son, Hussein, said that men in uniform came to their house at night. He heard shots and saw his father’s body lying on the ground.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the police force, expressed support for the police. “Anyone who endangers our police officers and fighters must be neutralized,” he posted on X.





AP video by Shlomo Mor

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