The fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers outside Washington’s Capital Jewish Museum on has intensified debates over the U.S. role in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has claimed over 61,700 Palestinian lives, including 17,492 children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The attack, carried out by Elias Rodriguez, a Chicago-based healthcare nonprofit employee, occurred against the backdrop of global outrage over Israel’s offensive and growing calls to end U.S. military aid to Israel.
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, the embassy workers, were leaving a diplomatic dinner when Rodriguez opened fire. Witnesses reported Rodriguez chanting “Free Palestine” during his arrest, while a manifesto linked to him titled “Escalate For Gaza, Bring The War Home” condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide and justified violence as a response to Palestinian suffering. Rodriguez’s social media history revealed pro-Palestinian activism and frustration with U.S. and international inaction.
Rodriguez’s actions underscore the desperation fueled by Israel’s 18-month genocide in Gaza. The war has displaced 80% of Gaza’s population, destroyed 88% of schools, and caused 70% women and children as casualties. U.S. complicity—through $3.8 billion in annual military aid and diplomatic shielding—has drawn sharp criticism from activists who argue such policies enable systemic violence against Palestinians. Rodriguez’s manifesto echoed these sentiments, accusing Western governments of complicity in Gaza’s “slow-motion massacre”.