WESTERN GALILEE — A 67-year-old man was shot dead on Tuesday morning on Route 70 near Kabul Junction in the western Galilee. Police opened an investigation into the incident and began searching for suspects.

Magen David Adom received an emergency report at 6:28 a.m. Paramedics found the man unconscious, without a pulse or breathing, and suffering from penetrating wounds. They pronounced him dead at the scene.

Police described the shooting as having a criminal background. The Acre Magistrate's Court issued a 30-day gag order on the investigation on Tuesday, which bars the publication of all details from the inquiry, including the victim's identity.

Media reports identified the victim as the father of a state witness in a major organized crime and corruption case. Police have not publicly confirmed this reported family connection as the motive for the shooting.

In January, a suspect was arrested on suspicion of breaking into the witness's home and delivering a threatening message to his family. A vehicle belonging to the witness's family was set on fire, and an explosive device detonated at the witness's home on a separate occasion.

In April, a 61-year-old man, identified as a relative of another key prosecution witness in the same case, was shot dead outside his home in Nazareth. Police stated the background to that April shooting was criminal, and circumstances were under investigation. The state witness is publicly linked to an investigation into alleged corruption involving a northern municipality and an organized crime group. This corruption case led to indictments against former municipal officials and alleged crime-group figures earlier this year, with proceedings against them remaining pending.