Indictment: Smuggled Illegal Residents, Then Ran Them Over and Killed One

The State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against Basel Shawamra (27) from Dura, charging him with intentional murder, two attempted murders, and additional offenses. According to the indictment, Shawamra transported 18 illegal residents into Israel, and when a confrontation developed, he ran over and killed Muhammad Sharha and tried to harm others.

The State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment this morning (Friday) against Basel Shawamra (27), a resident of Dura in the Judea and Samaria area, for intentional murder, two attempted murders, and additional offenses. According to the indictment, filed by Attorney Giora Hazan from the Southern District Prosecutor's Office to the Be'er Sheva District Court, Shawamra, who was in Israel without a permit and never obtained an Israeli driver's license, coordinated with others to transport 18 illegal residents from the Dura area into Israel through a breach in the separation fence. He used a vehicle with fake license plates that had been taken off the road months earlier. During the ride, one of the passengers felt unwell, and passenger Muhammad Sharha and other passengers asked Shawamra to stop. Shawamra initially refused, fearing being caught by security forces, and only later stopped the vehicle. Then he lunged at the passengers, cursed them, and said about the unwell passenger: "Let him die, no big deal." A verbal confrontation developed, during which he told them: "Wait, wait until we get to the grove" or similar words. Later, when they reached a grove near Kibbutz Dvira, a physical confrontation broke out, during which Shawamra was injured in the head. After managing to get back into the vehicle, he began driving quickly and wildly toward the fleeing passengers, intending to harm them. Muhammad Sharha and two other passengers fled up a nearby hill, and Shawamra struck all three with force, and after the deceased was thrown to the ground, he continued driving and ran him over with the vehicle's wheels. He then also tried to run over the deceased's brother. Muhammad Sharha was evacuated by MDA teams, but his death was determined at the scene. The indictment attributes to Shawamra offenses of intentional murder, two attempted murders, multiple counts of aggravated assault, illegal presence in Israel, transporting illegal residents under aggravated circumstances, driving without a license, and driving without vehicle registration. The case was investigated by YMR Rotem.