Israeli man indicted for hiring hitman to ‘honor kill’ lesbian sister

Haifa District Attorney’s office filed an indictment in Haifa District Court on Sunday against the individuals suspected of having murdered Sarit Ahmad on June 9, 2023.

The indictment, which is the result of a months-long investigation, included Ahmad’s brother Sa’id Ahmad, 29, who hired hitmen to kill her because she was a lesbian.

Sarit, an 18-year-old girl from the Druze town of Kisra-Sumei, was threatened for years before her murder due to her sexual orientation.

Sa’id’s hitmen, Hisham Mareihi, 39, and Shadi Abu Saraya, 39, were also included in the indictment. The three were accused of murder, arson, and obstruction of justice.

Sarit Ahmad's tumultuous family life

According to the indictment, Sarit was forced to leave her family’s home in 2020, when she was 16, due to her being a lesbian. She subsequently stayed in homeless shelters for several years.

At the end of 2022, Sarit found herself in a tough spot financially and personally. She returned home at the express request of multiple family members including her brother Sa'id. He even sent her money, promising more if she returned. He promised her that she would not be harmed. 

Ultimately, Sarit chose to live with her sister and brother-in-law. The already-tense relationship between Sarit and the rest of her family eventually deteriorated and she ran away from home on May 16, 2023, filing a complaint with the police against her brother.

She was eventually found by her family and made to return to the family home. Soon thereafter, Sa’id enlisted his hitmen and began planning his sister’s murder.

On June 9, 2023, Sa'id told Sarit that he would meet her in a certain parking lot in Yarka to switch cars with her. Happy about the prospect of getting a new car, Sarit agreed. It was in this parking lot that the hit men killed Sarit, crashing into her car with their own and opening fire on her when she tried to run away.