Deadly Shooting of Israeli Embassy Staffers in Washington

Two Israeli embassy staffers were killed in a shooting near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., in what U.S. officials are treating as a targeted act of violence. The victims, both locally employed at the Israeli embassy and known for their involvement in dialogue initiatives, were shot as they left an event attended by diplomats and Jewish professionals. The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago, reportedly shouted “Free Palestine” as he was arrested.

President Donald Trump condemned the killings as “obviously based on antisemitism,” while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the act “abhorrent” and ordered increased security at Israeli diplomatic missions worldwide. The FBI and Metropolitan Police are investigating the incident as a potential hate crime.

This is the most deadly antisemitic attack in Washington in recent memory and comes amid growing U.S. campus protests related to Gaza and rising tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The last comparable deadly attack on American Jews occurred in 2019, when a man fatally stabbed a rabbi’s guest during a Hanukkah celebration in Monsey, New York.