A man has stabbed his wife and two young sons to death as they slept in a brutal massacre.
The alleged triple murder took place at the family home in the Al-Bunok area of the city of Tayibe in central Israel early this morning.
Baraa Massaroa, 26 and her two infant sons Amir and Adam were the latest in a string of murder victims, according to an Israel Police spokesperson.
The police say that the suspect, not named but aged 30, was arrested on suspicion of having murdered his wife and children.
Paramedic Mohammed Araki told local media: "When we arrived at the scene, the sight was extremely shocking.
"We saw a woman, a baby and a toddler unconscious and with signs of violence.
"We did medical tests and tried to save them, they didn't show any signs of life and unfortunately, we had no choice but to pronounce the three dead."
There was no known history of violence in the family.
Tayibe mayor Shua'a Mansur told local media: "The family is not known to the welfare authorities, no red flags were raised."
Baraa's father, Aadel Jabar, told local media: "We've lost the flowers of the family. Last time we spoke was on holiday. She and my grandsons hugged me and then left. They were on a trip and returned. We never expected it to end in murder."
Opposition leader Yair Lapid. said: "The report of the murder of a mother and two children who never did anything to anyone breaks my heart.
"The number of murders has doubled under this government. The government under my leadership lowered the rate of violence in an organized and quiet fashion. The current government promised personal security and is failing with that."
Leaders of multiple organizations for the protection of women called on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to push legislation to protect women and to effectively deal with the rising rates of murder.
The number of deaths from violence and crime in the Arab parts of the country in 2023 now stands at 64, according to the Abraham Initiatives.
Baraa is the fourth Arab woman to have been murdered this year.
Last week, shots were fired at the house of Shua'a Mansur, the mayor of Tayibe City, killing his security guard Adir Vahib Ghanem.
According to the testimonies of residents, two unknown people arrived in the area and stood outside the house, and then called Ghanem's name, Ynet reported.
Following this, he went outside, and then according to the residents, 10 bullets were fired at him.
