A synagogue in Germany has been targeted by individuals who threw Molotov cocktails amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas.
According to reports, two unidentified individuals threw two Molotov cocktails at the Kahal Adass Jisroel in Berlin at around 3:45 a.m. Police said that the Molotovs burst on the sidewalk next to the sacred building.
“Unknown persons threw two Molotov cocktails from the street,” Kahal Adass Jisroel wrote on the social media platform X.
The Central Council of Jews called the incident a “terrorist attack,” adding that Hamas’ antisemitic ideology has reached the country.
“We are all shocked by this terrorist attack,” the group said in a statement. “Above all, the families from the neighborhood around the synagogue are shocked and unsettled. Words become deeds. Hamas’ ideology of extermination against everything Jewish is also having an effect in Germany.”
Authorities added that there were riots overnight between police and Muslim immigrants in the city’s Neukoelln and Kreuzberg neighborhoods, as well as near Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate, in which many officers were injured.
“We will never accept when attacks are carried out against Jewish institutions,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “We stand united for the protection of Jews.”
Rabbi Shlomo Afanasev, a member of the Kahal Adass Jisroel congregation, expressed his shock at the attack.
“I go to the synagogue since 2006, and… I always go with my kippah on,” Afanasev said. “We felt until today very safe here. And never thought something like this could happen in this area. In the middle of Berlin.”
This comes after the Iran-backed Hamas attacked Israel and invaded towns along the Gaza border earlier this month, killing at least 700 people. As of Wednesday, the death toll has risen to 1,200, according to IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus.
The attack prompted Israel to declare war against the terrorist group with a ruthless aerial campaign that has flattened homes, schools, medical institutions, and government buildings in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. President Joe Biden has since pledged his support for Israel, with his administration already moving military units to the country as well as supplying them with munitions and interceptors to ensure the Iron Dome defense system has enough supplies.
