Rabbi Eli Schlinger killed in armed attack in Sydney

Rabbi Eli Schlinger, who was killed on Sunday in an armed attack in Sydney, visited Israel and met with soldiers to encourage them to continue the genocide war in the Gaza Strip.

Over more than two years, the Israeli genocide in Gaza has left more than 70,000 dead and 171,000 injured Palestinians, mostly children and women, sparking global popular outrage and plunging Israel into international isolation.

12 people were killed and 29 others injured in an armed attack today, Sunday, during celebrations of the Jewish holiday "Hanukkah" (Festival of Lights) on Bondi Beach in the Australian city of Sydney.

Among the dead was Schlinger, who was an emissary of the Jewish movement "Chabad" (the extremist) in Australia.

"Chabad" refuses to recognize the rights of the Palestinian people under occupation and opposes any settlement that grants them any part of their occupied lands that Israel has occupied for decades.

The Israeli activist and journalist Hanuch Daum said via his "Instagram" account: "Among the victims of the attack is Rabbi Eli Schlinger, emissary of the Chabad movement."

Daum added that after October 7, 2023, "Schlinger visited Israel to provide support and encouragement," referring to the Israeli genocide war against Palestinians in Gaza.

A photo of Schlinger sitting among soldiers of the Israeli army on a military vehicle, and it is not clear if it was in Gaza or elsewhere.

Schlinger boasts of his support for the Israeli army, which has committed genocide crimes in Gaza, according to the United Nations and international human rights organizations.

According to his accounts on social media platforms, it appears that Schlinger used his photo on the military vehicle as his profile picture on "Facebook" and "Instagram".

Information about the identities and motives of the attackers was not immediately available, with the Australian authorities describing the attack as a "terrorist act".

The Australian government has repeatedly criticized Israel due to the genocide it committed in the besieged Gaza Strip, where about 2.4 million Palestinians live in tragic conditions.

Amid this genocide, Australia, along with several Western countries, recognized the State of Palestine during the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly in September last year.

Israel was established in 1948 on occupied Palestinian lands, then occupied the rest of the Palestinian territories, and refuses to withdraw and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.