Israeli diplomatic staff gunned down outside D.C. museum

In the U.S., police say two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington were shot and killed while leaving an event at a Jewish museum. The suspect reportedly yelled “Free Palestine” after being arrested. The victims, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were a young couple about to get engaged. Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called the killing “horrific.”

Israeli embassies around the world have stepped up security after the deadly shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. The event was meant to be an evening focused on peace.

Officials say the suspect chanted “Free Palestine” while being taken into custody.

Lischinsky and Milgrim were known for their commitment to building bridges between Arabs and Jews, in hopes of helping end bloodshed in the Middle East, according to those who knew them and advocacy groups they belonged to.

During his remarks, Netanyahu also addressed a separate incident in the occupied West Bank. He said the Israeli army “regrets” a shooting that occurred in Jenin on Wednesday, when military forces fired near a diplomatic delegation that had reportedly deviated from its approved route. Sources say European diplomats were part of the delegation.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s health ministry reported that more than 100 people were killed and around 250 wounded across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours. Pressure is mounting on Israel from close allies amid a nearly three-month blockade of supplies into the enclave, which has triggered warnings of famine. Even the United States, a staunch ally of Israel, has expressed concern over the growing hunger crisis.

U.N. agencies say Israeli military restrictions, combined with the breakdown of law and order in Gaza, are making it nearly impossible to retrieve and distribute humanitarian aid. As a result, only a small fraction of aid has reached those in need.

The Palestinian health minister reported that 29 children, infants, and elderly people have died in recent days from starvation-related causes.

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