Israel’s police and border force launched a series of raids in northern Israel and the occupied West Bank on Monday amid a crackdown on crime gripping Palestinian citizens of Israel.
At least 23 people were arrested in morning raids by the Israeli police, said to be members of the Abu Latif and Hariri crime families, according to the Times of Israel, citing the Israeli police force.
The two families are alleged to be involved in racketeering and extortion, as well as shootings and murder.
This includes suspected attempts to take over state-issued tenders worth hundreds of millions of shekels, which was the centre of the investigation that led to the arrests on Monday.
The Palestinian community in Israel has been plagued by crime for several years, with reportst stating at least 234 people have been killed since the start of 2025. In 2024, the figure stood at 230 people the Israeli-Palestinian NGO Abraham Initiatives states.
Police Chief Danny Levy was quoted by Israeli media as saying that the police would continue its crackdown. This was followed by Meir Eliyahu, the commander of the Northern District, also saying that the police are "determined to bring security to the residents of the northern district."
In February, a similar operation led to the arrest of 36 members of the Abu Latif family, 12 of whom were indicted in April.
The Palestinian community has long held the Israeli state responsible for the uptick in crime, accusing police of acting with indifference to the issue and of failing to protect them.
Criticism has also been directed at National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who in 2023 dismantled a dedicated police unit to combat crime among the Palestinian community. He also dismantled Knesset initiatives set up to lower the crime rate amongst the community.
Only 15 percent of murder cases in the Palestinian community are solved by the police, according to a report from The New Arab earlier this year.
In a letter sent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this February, Co-Executive Directors of the Abraham Initiatives, Amnon Be'eri-Sulitzaenu and Shahira Shalaby, claimed that Ben-Gvir had "severely damaged" the police's ability to deal with the crisis, and that the government's lack of action was "perpetuating the cycle of crime and violence."