The Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. has released the first image of two staffers killed during a shooting in the capital Wednesday night.
The victims, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum—less than a mile from Capitol Hill—when they were approached by a man who brandished a handgun and shot them at around 9.15 p.m. local time.
Chicago man Elias Rodriguez, 30, has been arrested. The suspect was heard to chant, “Free, free Palestine” as he was detained inside the museum.
“Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues. They were in the prime of their lives,” the museum posted on X.
“This evening, a terrorist shot and killed them as they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC. The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder.”
The tribute continued: “No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss. Our hearts are with their families, and the embassy will be by their side during this terrible time.”
Reports state that Lischinsky, 28, had bought a ring and was preparing to propose to Milgrim next week in Jerusalem.
The Times of Israel reports that the pair worked in the public diplomacy department of the embassy. Milgrim had a master’s degree in international studies from American University, and a master’s degree in natural resources and sustainable development from the United Nations University of Peace.
Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli said Lischinsky was a political analyst.
The Times of Israel reported that he had a master’s degree in Government, Diplomacy and Strategy from Reichman University and a bachelor’s in International Relations from Hebrew University.
Washington rabbi Levi Shemtov knew the couple. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme they were “nice people, popular” people.
Lischinsky was vocal about “interfaith dialogue” and peace through negotiation.
He wrote, in part, on LinkedIn: “I’m an ardent believer in the vision that was outlined in the Abraham Accords and believe that expanding the circle of peace with our Arab neighbors and pursuing regional cooperation is in the best interest of the State of Israel and the Middle East as a whole.”
The event they attended, organized by the American Jewish Committee, was about humanitarian aid in Gaza.
The event, which the BBC reported was a cocktails evening, was called the Young Diplomats Reception.
Organizer Jojo Kalin said: “This event was about humanitarian aid. How can we actually help both the people in Gaza and the people in Israel? How can we bring together Muslims and Jews and Christians to work together to actually help innocent people? And then here he is just murdering two people in cold blood.”
Kalin gave an insight into how the shooting occurred, saying that the suspect ran into the museum after the shooting and looked so “distraught” that people thought he was a witness.
He was offered water and aid but then “whipped out his red Jordanian keffiyeh and he yells ‘Free Palestine!’,” Kalin said.
President Donald Trump reacted to the news early on Thursday, in a post on Truth Social. “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! God Bless You ALL!”
The murders took place shortly after Israeli forces, according to Al Jazeera, fired “warning” shots in the direction of foreign diplomats visiting the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Around 38 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since dawn today, the publication added.
Israeli forces, meanwhile, continue to block aid from entering the territory, according to the United Nations.
