Video posted by Aviel Haddad before being killed in Tunisia
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An Israeli national, Aviel Haddad and his French cousin Ben Haddad, were among the four reported dead in an attack on a synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba on Tuesday, during celebrations of a Jewish festival at the ancient site there. At least 10 others were injured.
They were shot in the parking lot by a naval guard who first killed a colleague before opening fire targeting security personnel protecting the synagogue, as he tried to make his way to the structure.
hundreds of Jewish and Israeli worshipers who attended the Lag BaOmer festivities at the 2,500-year-old synagogue. After remaining under siege inside for hours, the worshipers were removed under heavy security and returned to their homes and hotels.
Panic at El Ghriba synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia as gunshots ring outside
The attack occurred during an annual pilgrimage to Djerba, attended by Jews from all over the world. The assailant fired indiscriminately at security units located near the synagogue, killing the two visitors and injuring five of them before being killed.
The local media channel Alhurra reported that shots were fired toward "a holy Jewish site in Djerba." In their report, they said that security forces surrounded the synagogue and placed the hundreds of worshippers inside, under lockdown as gunshots rang outside and Helicopters were seen flying above.
The Foreign Ministry contacted Israelis who were in the area and received real-time reports from them. Among the people who were trapped in the synagogue was former MK Yomtob Kalfon
"We heard gunshots from outside the synagogue compound. We do not know exactly what happened there - there are several different versions, but we are all fine, thank God. We prayed Arvit while we were not allowed to go outside," he told Ynet.
Authorities did not identify a motive for the attack but Islamist militants have previously targeted the pilgrimage in Djerba and have staged other attacks in the country.
"Our parents lived here until the establishment of Israel," Yair Ifargan, who was at the synagogue during the attack said. "I walked around here yesterday and was very moved to see the Jewish neighborhood. at sundown were arrived at the festival that has been held here for years. The Tunisians grant special visas to many Jews who arrive every year and in my estimation, somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000, arrived. There are about 1,000 Jewis living in Djerba," he said.
Ifargan said he sensed the heavy security around Jews when he arrived at the airport, which included boats patrolling the sea. "There is a first, second and third circle of Tunisian security people, in and around the Jewish pilgrims," he said. " around 8 pm when we had already left the synagogue and were on our bus, we understood that someone had heard shots fired.
Our security guard said we should quickly drive back to the hotel," he said adding that he was still unclear of the details of the attack but knows that the assailant was on a killing spree. "There was a big and nice celebration and this put a damper on it. we just want to continue our visit, but we will sit down with the Tunisians and our travel agent and ecide," he said.
President of the CER, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt said after the attack: "The anti-semitic attack in the synagogue in Djerba during the celebration of Lag B'Omer fills me with deep sorrow. The hearts and prayers of European Jews are with family victims and their families. We are here at the disposal of the Jewish community in Tunisia for any request and any help that may be required."
The Jewish community in Djerba said in a statement that it was outraged by the authorities' intention to perform an autopsy of the Jewish victims after they were removed from the island. They called on the international community to intervene.
Tunisia's last significant attack was a blast targeting police outside the U.S. embassy in 2020 that killed one officer. Two suicide blasts targeted police outside the French embassy in 2019, also killing one officer.
Islamist militants killed scores of tourists in two separate attacks at a beach resort and a Tunis museum in 2015.
The annual pilgrimage to Africa's oldest synagogue regularly draws hundreds of Jews from Europe and Israel to Djerba, a holiday destination off the coast of southern Tunisia, 500 km (300 miles) from the capital Tunis.
The pilgrimage has had tight security since al Qaeda militants attacked the synagogue in 2002 with a truck bomb, killing 21 Western tourists.