Several newspapers and television stations reported that Muhammad Khamis Ammash, 24, died at dawn on Saturday in the coastal town of Jisr al-Zarqa.

Sources reported that the victim was shot inside his car while near the municipal stadium.

The Israel Hayom newspaper reported that last night a man and a child were stabbed in the Arab-inhabited town of Ein Nakuba, in the center of the country.

Another young Arab-Israeli was wounded in a shootout in the town of Taibeh.

More than 120 members of that minority were murdered last year, a record number in the recent history of the country.

Arab communities have experienced a rise in violence in recent years, fueled mainly by organized crime, amid criticism of police inaction in dealing with the problem.

High unemployment rates, poverty and other social factors are also causes of this, according to various studies.

pgh/llp/car/rob