Arab-Israeli Hamed Mohammed Habashi 'Killed Fighting for Isis in Iraq'

An Arab-Israeli who joined Isis (Islamic State) has been killed in fighting in Iraq.

Hamed Mohammed Habashi, 23, from the Galilee village of Iksal, traveled to Turkey with four of his friends earlier this year, from where he is believed to have crossed the border into Syria and joined the militant group.

Habashi's family learnt that he was probably killed near Hamadi, in western Iraq, reports Haaretz.

A local Muslim cleric told ynetnews.com that he was not the first young man to support the Islamist group.

"Unfortunately, lately we've been hearing about a lot of youths and men of religion who support the Islamic State. I don't understand this. This is an organization that must be classified as a first-class terror organization," he said.

It is believed that scores of Arab Israelis have joined militias combatting the forces of Syrian president Bashar al Assad, with many joining Islamic State or fellow Islamist group Jabhat al Nusra.

In August, Arutz Sheva reported that the Islamic State's black flag had been seen flying over the Arab-Israeli towns of Nazareth and Akko.

Last month, a 23-year-old man was convicted by an Israeli court of fighting for Islamic State in Syria, which the judge deemed to be a danger to Israel's national security.

The indictment filed against Ahmad Shurbaj states that he entered Syria via Turkey in January, engaged in several battles against the Syrian army with Islamic State, before returning to Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport, where he was arrested.