Guterres condemns 'appalling killing' of two Israeli Embassy staff members in US

Guterres wrote on X: "I condemn the appalling killing last night of two Israeli Embassy officials in Washington, D.C."

He said the 'horrific act' could not be justified.

He said: "I reiterate my consistent condemnation of attacks against diplomatic officials. I call for the perpetrator to be brought to justice. I extend my sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims and to the Government of Israel."

The head of a UN platform that promotes intercultural dialogue and understanding also voiced his strong condemnation.

“This heinous antisemitic act is unacceptable and unjustifiable. My thoughts go to their families, their colleagues, and the State of Israel,” said Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).

Virginia Gamba, Acting UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, called for an end to antisemitism saying “there is no place in the world where such a horrific antisemitic hate crime as the murders of Mr. Yaron Lischinsky and Miss Sarah Milgrim can be justified.”

Senior politicians from across the world have also expressed their condemnation.

The killings occurred against the backdrop of the war in Gaza, which began on 7 October 2023 following Hamas-led attacks on Israel which left roughly 1,200 people dead while another 250 were taken hostage.  More than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the health authorities.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described the attack as “the direct consequence of the virulent and toxic antisemitic rhetoric against Israel and Jewish communities around the world that has been going on since October 7.”

‘An unbearable loss’

Lischinsky was a research assistant in the political department at the Israeli Embassy in Washington while Milgrim organized trips to Israel, according to media reports.

They were killed after attending the American Jewish Committee's annual Young Diplomats reception which this year focused on response to humanitarian crises throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

The Spokesperson of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Tal Naim, described their deaths as “an unbearable loss.”

She tweeted a photo of the couple below a message which said that “instead of walking you down the aisle, we are walking with you to your graves.”

Elias Rodriguez Charged With Murder

A 31-year-old man has been charged with federal and local murder offences in connection with the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staff members outside the Jewish National Museum in the US capital, Washington, DC, on Wednesday, officials said.

He has been identified as Elias Rodriguez.

The victims, Yaron and Sarah, were in a relationship and planning to get engaged soon, Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter confirmed.

"Rodriguez is charged in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with the murder of foreign officials, causing death through the use of a firearm, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence," read the statement issued by the US Attorney's Office.

The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen, and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith.