Three people are dead and nine are wounded in an attack on Tuesday on the island of Djerba in Tunisia. The attack happened near the Lag B’Omer Hilula celebration at the al-Gharībain (Ghriba) synagogue and Jewish center, in which hundreds of Israeli and Jewish tourists from around the world were participating.
According to the Tunisian Foreign Ministry a soldier in the national guard shot and killed a fellow soldier at the Aghir port. He then ran towards the Jewish center while firing randomly. Security stationed at the synagogue prevented him from entering the complex and opened fire.
As a result of the exchange of fire, 6 police and security personnel were wounded, of those, one died. Two visitors were killed, and four more people were wounded and were taken to the hospital.
The identity of the dead civilians have not yet been released. It was originally thought that the terrorists had dressed up as religious Jews. Reporter Amichai Stein says the dead and wounded civilians are Jewish worshippers. The murdered Jewish civilians were cousins Aviel Haddad, an Israeli citizen, and Benjamin Haddad, a French-Tunisian citizen.
Everyone inside the synagogue complex is reportedly unharmed.
ככל הנראה שלושה מחבלים מחופשים ליהודים דתיים. השלושה חוסלו. חשש שמחבל רביעי נמלט. https://t.co/8WoPKTd5Po
— ישי כהן (@ishaycoen) May 9, 2023
החשד לפיגוע: מסוקים מעל מתחם ההילולה בתוניס. pic.twitter.com/bP7nO3lyuz
— ישי כהן (@ishaycoen) May 9, 2023
The Jewish community of Djerba, consisting mostly of Cohanim and no permanent Levites, is one of the oldest Diaspora communities still in existence.
Terrorists attacked the synagogue in 2002, killing 20 people with a bomb.
