Two Israeli Embassy staffers shot dead outside D.C.'s Capital Jewish Museum
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim had spent the evening at an event dedicated to bringing together war-torn and politically divided regions of the world when a man with a gun killed the soon-to-be engaged Israeli Embassy staffers Wednesday.
The American Jewish Committee had been hosting an event at the Capital Jewish Museum aimed at bridge-building in the Middle East and North Africa. Lischinsky and Milgrim had exited the event when they were fatally shot around 9 p.m., according to Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the United States, who shared news of the couple's pending engagement.
A man who had been pacing back and forth outside the museum approached a group of four people and opened fire using a handgun, Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith said.
After the shooting, the suspect walked into the museum looking 'distraught,' JoJo Drake Kalin, who organized the Young Diplomats event, told Sky News, NBC News' international partner. Kalin said she mistook the man for a bystander.
'I actually offered and gave him water, unbeknownst to me that I was actually looking evil in the eye,' Kalin said. 'There was commotion and a frenzy, but no one was aware of lives lost.'
Police identified the suspect in the shooting as Elias Rodriguez of Chicago. When he was handcuffed and being escorted by police, he shouted, 'Free, free Palestine.'
Smith said Rodriguez 'implied' he committed the shooting and told authorities where to find the weapon used in the shooting.
'Sarah and Yaron were stolen from us,' AJC CEO Ted Deutch said. 'Moments before they were murdered, they were smiling, laughing, and enjoying an event with colleagues and friends. We are in shock and heartbroken as we attempt to process this immense tragedy.'
The shooting comes more than 18 months after Israel launched a bombing campaign and ground invasion in the Gaza Strip following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas militants, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and hundreds more were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's counteroffensive has killed more than 53,000 people in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. International aid groups and governments have also warned of the risk of famine in the enclave.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered condolences, saying, 'My heart grieves for the families of the young beloveds, whose lives were cut short in a moment by an abhorrent antisemitic murderer.'
The couple were planning a future together, officials said. 'The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem," Leiter said at a late-night news conference.
Netanyahu directed security increases for Israeli missions and representatives around the world, he said.
President Donald Trump also condemned the violence.
'These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen!' Trump said on social media.
Kalin said the Young Diplomats reception, which was being held at the museum before the young couple was killed, focused on 'turning pain into purpose,' with the aim of bringing together young professionals, both Jewish and non-Jewish, to talk about bridge-building in the Middle East and North Africa region.
'We were wanting to counter the us-versus-them narrative,' Kalin said. 'It's painfully ironic that at a time we were speaking about bridge-building, somebody came in with such hate and destruction.'
Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Jeanine Pirro, the interim U.S. attorney for Washington, will prosecute the case.
Steve Jensen, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington field office, said his team was working to determine whether the shooting may have been hate-motivated or potentially an act of terrorism.
CORRECTION (May 22, 2025, 7:30 a.m. ET): Because of an editing error, a previous version of this article misspelled the last name of one of the victims. She is Sarah Milgrim, not Milgram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
38 minutes ago
- Telegraph
IDF recovers body of Thai hostage
The Israeli military has recovered the body of a Thai national who was held hostage in the Gaza Strip. The remains of Nattapong Pinta were recovered in a special operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza. Mr Pinta was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during the Oct 7 2023 attack on Israel, and he was killed in captivity shortly after being taken, the IDF said. He had been working as a farm labourer on the Nir Oz kibbutz in southern Israel, just a few miles east of Gaza's border, when he was abducted. The Thai national is the most recent hostage whose body has been found. On Thursday, the Israeli military recovered the bodies of US-Israeli dual citizens Judith Weinstein Haggai, 70, and Gad Haggai, 72, who were both residents of the same kibbutz where Mr Pinta worked. Israeli authorities have said they believe all three of the recently found hostages were murdered by the terrorists who kidnapped them. The attack that Hamas launched on Oct 7 surprised and devastated Israel, with the terrorist group killing more than 1,000 people, including hundreds of security personnel, and taking over 200 hostages. About 30 Thais were abducted that day. Roughly two-thirds of those kidnapped on Oct 7 were subsequently released as part of deals between Israel and Hamas. Forty-six Thais have been killed during the conflict, the Thai foreign affairs ministry has said. The war between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the Oct 7 attack, continues to rage on in Gaza. Attempts to broker a ceasefire and peace deal have repeatedly hit roadblocks. Hamas has rejected proposed deals that do not guarantee a full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip and an end to the war. Mr Pinta, 36, who is survived by a young son and wife, was among those taken after he'd migrated to Israel as an agricultural labourer in 2022. At the time of the Oct 7 attack, there were about 30,000 Thai migrant workers in Israel. Many of them returned home primarily via government evacuation flights, and some vowed never to return, given the risks they faced due to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Since then, however, the Thai government has continued to grant permissions for its citizens to work in Israel. Thais remain the largest group of foreign farm workers in Israel, with about 38,000 in the country, according to Thai officials. There are 55 hostages remaining in Gaza, though only about 20 of them are believed to still be alive, according to Israeli authorities. Israel said its expanded offensive in the Strip, named Operation Gideon's Chariot, will increase the chances of returning the missing. However, many of the hostages' families have expressed alarm at the new tactic of seizing and holding territory, which follows heavy bombardment, and are urging Benjamin Netanyahu to make a deal with Hamas. The Thai Embassy has been notified about Mr Pinta, according to the prime minister's office. 'We express our deep gratitude and appreciation to our brave commanders and soldiers for this important and successful operation,' said a statement from Netanyahu's office. 'We will not rest and we will not be silent until all our hostages are brought home – both the living and the deceased.' 'We stand with Nattapong's family today and share in their grief,' an Israeli hostage support group said in a statement. 'While the pain is immense, his family will finally have certainty after 20 terrible and agonising months of devastating uncertainty,' the statement said. 'Every family deserves such certainty to begin their personal healing journey.'
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Dawn French apologises for ‘Oct 7 attacks' video
Dawn French has apologised 'unreservedly' after she posted a 'one-sided' video in which she appeared to dismiss the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7. The 67-year-old comedian and actress was accused of belittling the attacks in a clip she put on social media in which she claimed the murder of 1,200 people was 'a bad thing'. In the video, posted on X on May 5, she mimics apparent defences of Israel's huge military campaign in Gaza. She was accused of appearing to belittle the Hamas-led murders of 1,200 people and adopting a 'mocking' tone. On Saturday, she removed that video and issued an apology, adding that she was 'sorry' her 'disgust at Hamas didn't figure'. The message, also on X, says: 'Ok, it's important to address this. I posted a video in the style I've been using for social media in an effort to convey an important point. I clumsily used a mocking tone. 'My intention was NEVER to mock, or dismiss, or diminish the horror of what happened on 7 October 2023 and what continues to unfold from that brutal, unthinkable, unforgivable, savage attack.' She said her 'heart broke' for the innocent people 'killed, tortured, r@aped [sic] and kidnapped', adding that it was 'appalling' that hostages were still being held. She insisted that her 'intention was to mock and point the finger of shame at the behaviour of the cruel leaders on ALL sides of this attricious [sic] war, who have continued to behave like the worst, dangerous, sickening bullies and seem to relish the tyrannical and childish one-upmanship of violence.' She added she was 'feeling increasingly helpless and hopeless as we witness the carnage and destruction worsen', adding how she was 'haunted … day and night ' by 'images of starving children.' The Vicar of Dibley actress wrote: 'History has taught us never to stand by and allow this kind of inhumane violence to be wrought on anyone, especially innocent children. 'I have felt my silence is complicit or even somehow sanctioning. So in my small way, I wanted to voice my desire to say NO - to both sides - to any further violence. 'I hope you will understand my intention was not to offend, but clearly I have. For which I am sorry and I have removed the video.' She was accused of adopting a baby-like face in the original 40-second video. She filmed herself saying: 'Complicated, no, but nuanced. But [the] bottom line is no.' She went on: ''Yeah, but you know they did a bad thing to us'... Yeah, but no. ''But we want that land and there's a lot of history…'. No. 'These people are not even people, are they really?' No.' The video was viewed more than half a million times in the 24 hours after it was posted. Tracy-Ann Oberman, an actress who has appeared in numerous West End shows, accused the comedian of adopting a 'mocking' tone. Comedy writer and self-described 'champion of Jewish rights' Lee Kern wrote: 'What you sneeringly mock as a 'bad thing' included the grieving children I met in hospital whose friends and family had been murdered, kidnapped and raped and who themselves were coming to terms with their own life-altering injuries. 'It also includes the 1,200 people murdered and tortured on October 7th… you proactively broadcast – with misplaced pride – a wicked glee in your mockery and dismissal of Jewish suffering, pain and death.' Israel began its ground offensive in Gaza in response to Hamas's terrorist attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. There are now 56 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Israel was criticised by Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, for its recent 'appalling' military action, describing the conduct of Benjamin Netanyahu's government as 'intolerable' following claims that more than 50,000 people, including many women and children, had been killed by Israeli forces.
Belfast Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Israel says its military has retrieved body of Thai hostage from Gaza
The country's prime minister's office said on Saturday that the body of Thai citizen Nattapong Pinta was returned to Israel in a special military operation. The announcement comes as Israel continues its military offensive across the strip, killing at least 95 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza's health ministry. Mr Pinta was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity near the start of the war, said the Israeli government. This comes two days after the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages were retrieved. Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza, of whom Israel says more than half are dead. Israel's defence minister said on Saturday that Mr Pinta's body was retrieved from the Rafah area. He had come to Israel from Thailand to work in agriculture. The army said he was taken into Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that it said had also abducted and killed Shiri Bibas and her two small children. It is also the same group that took the two Israeli-American hostages, Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose bodies were retrieved by the army on Thursday. Israel said it found Mr Pinta's body based on information received from the hostage taskforce and military intelligence. A statement from the hostage forum, which supports the hostages, said it stands with Mr Pinta's family and shares in their grief. It called on the country's decision makers to bring home the remaining hostages and give those who have died a proper burial. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas militants. Many of the Thai agricultural workers lived in compounds on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, and Hamas militants overran those places first. A total of 46 Thais have been killed during the conflict, according to Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before Mr Pinta's body was retrieved, three Thai hostages remained in captivity and two were confirmed dead. The fate of Mr Pinta was uncertain until Saturday, according to the hostage forum. The retrieval of Mr Pinta's body comes as Israel continues its military campaign across Gaza. Hospital officials said they received the bodies of nearly two dozen people on Saturday. Four strikes hit the Muwasi area in southern Gaza between Rafah and Khan Younis. In northern Gaza, one strike hit a flat, killing seven people including a mother and five children. Their bodies were taken to Shifa hospital. Israel said on Saturday that it is responding to Hamas's 'barbaric attacks' and is dismantling its capabilities. It said it follows international law and takes all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. They are still holding 55 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages from Gaza and recovered dozens of bodies. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The offensive has destroyed large parts of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of roughly two million Palestinians.
