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Murder of Yafim Weinstein

SOLVED2009Nazareth Illit / Nazareth, Israel3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Yafim (also spelled Yefim) Weinstein was a 54-year-old Israeli man who lived in Nazareth Illit and worked as a cab driver. In 2009, he was murdered while delivering pizza. The killing was later determined to be a terrorist incident carried out by Islamist militants who identified with Al Qaeda.

In 2010, Israeli police and national security services conducted a combined operation in Nazareth, arresting eight suspects. The investigation uncovered what authorities described as a "cell" inspired by Al Qaida and by recorded speeches of Osama bin Laden. Members of the cell were reported to have sought to illegally acquire weapons and to carry out violent attacks targeting Jews and Christians.

Among those arrested in 2010 were Ahmed Ahmed, then 21, who was charged with murder, and Ghaleb Ranim, 26, and Haider Ziadna, 22, who were charged as accomplices to murder. All three were residents of Nazareth. They were apprehended as part of a wider group of seven men uncovered after Ahmed and Ranim traveled toward Somalia with the stated goal of training at an Al-Qaida camp. The pair had flown to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and then on to Kenya, where they were arrested and subsequently deported back to Israel. At his indictment, when asked whether he was motivated by hatred of Christians and Jews, Ahmed reportedly made a statement praising Osama bin Laden.

The group was reported to have been influenced by the imam of Nazareth's Shihab a-Din mosque, identified as Abu Salim, who was convicted of supporting the Al Qaida terrorist organization and of inciting violence and terrorism.

Individuals identified as Raleb Ganaem, Haidar Zidana, and Ali Ahmed Ali were convicted of murder and sentenced to prison terms, with Ali receiving a life sentence. Ganaem and another defendant were also convicted of abducting and robbing a pizza delivery man in an act described as "connected to his being Jewish." According to the account of the crime, the perpetrators ordered a pizza from a pizzeria in Upper Nazareth, waited in ambush for the delivery driver, and then stabbed, abducted, and robbed him, leaving him bound and bleeding.

Key facts

Victims
Yafim Weinstein
Date
2009
Location
Nazareth Illit / Nazareth, Israel
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2009

    Yafim Weinstein, a 54-year-old cab driver, is murdered while delivering pizza in Nazareth Illit in what was later determined to be a terrorist attack.

  2. 2010

    Eight suspects are arrested in Nazareth in a joint police and national security services operation uncovering an Al Qaida-inspired cell.

  3. 2010

    Ahmed Ahmed (21) is arrested and charged with murder; Ghaleb Ranim (26) and Haider Ziadna (22) are arrested and charged as accomplices to murder.

Best coverage

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People

  • Raleb Ganaem

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of murder and of abducting and robbing a pizza delivery man in an act connected to his being Jewish; sentenced to prison.

  • Abu Salim

    CONVICTED

    Imam of Nazareth's Shihab a-Din mosque, convicted of supporting the Al Qaida terrorist organization and of inciting violence and terrorism.

  • Yafim Weinstein

    VICTIM

    54-year-old cab driver from Nazareth Illit, murdered in 2009 while delivering pizza.

  • Ghaleb Ranim

    CHARGED

    Arrested in 2010 at age 26 and charged as an accomplice to murder.

  • Haider Ziadna

    CHARGED

    Arrested in 2010 at age 22 and charged as an accomplice to murder.

  • Haidar Zidana

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of murder and sentenced to prison.

  • Ahmed Ahmed

    CHARGED

    Arrested in 2010 at age 21 and charged with murder.

  • Ali Ahmed Ali

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Nazareth Illit / Nazareth, Israel

32.7009, 35.3035

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Yafim Weinstein, a 54-year-old cab driver from Nazareth Illit, was stabbed, abducted, and robbed in 2009 while delivering pizza, in an attack later found to be a terrorist incident carried out by a cell of Islamist militants inspired by Al Qaeda. Several men were later convicted of his murder and related terrorism offenses.
Where did the murder happen?
Nazareth Illit / Nazareth, Israel.
Who was convicted?
Raleb Ganaem (Convicted of murder and of abducting and robbing a pizza delivery man in an act connected to his being Jewish; sentenced to prison.), Abu Salim (Imam of Nazareth's Shihab a-Din mosque, convicted of supporting the Al Qaida terrorist organization and of inciting violence and terrorism.), Haidar Zidana (Convicted of murder and sentenced to prison.), and Ali Ahmed Ali (Convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Israel

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Yafim WeinsteinWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — CNNCNN · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — israelnationalnews.comisraelnationalnews.com · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026