Amid rising antisemitism in the wake of the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, a Jewish synagogue leader was stabbed to death in the US city of Detroit.
The deceased has been identified as Samantha Woll, President of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue at Detroit. She was found dead outside her house.
The police have so far not given any motive for the incident and have asked the public to not speculate.
While the police have not drawn any connection between the murder and the Israel-Hamas War, the incident comes in the midst of antisemitic rallies in several parts of the world. In the United States, tensions have been high as groups in educational campuses have come out in support of Hamas and there have been confrontations in pro-Hamas and pro-Israel rallies.
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"While at the scene, police officers observed a trail of blood leading officers to the victim's residence, which is where the crime is believed to have occurred," said Cpl. Dan Donakowski, as per The Associated Press (AP).
Police found Woll around 6:30 a.m. after someone called to alert them of a person lying on the ground unresponsive, according to the Free Press.
Calling Holl's death heartbreaking, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the Michigan State Police were assigned to support the Detroit Police Department in the investigation.
The Times of Israel reported that the police have also sought assistance from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
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"The murder came amid escalating tensions in Jewish and Muslim communities across the United States over the Israel-Hamas war sparked by the Gaza-ruling terror group’s deadly onslaught in southern Israel on October 7 and widespread protests against Israel’s military response in Gaza. A public call by a former Hamas terror group leader for global protests against Jews led some Jewish institutions to close or fortify themselves last week, including in the Detroit area, which is home to one of the largest Palestinian communities in the United States," reported ToI further.
Last week, a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy was stabbed to death in the Chicago city in the United States. The murder was linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that has led to polarisation across the world.
On October 7, Hamas invaded Israel and killed at least 1,400, injured over 4,600, and took more than 200 Israelis and foreign nationals as hostages. In response, Israel launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip to take out Hamas facilities and leaders, which have also caused widespread civilian casualties, including several hundreds of children. More than 4,000 have been killed in Gaza and over 13,000 have been injured, including several hundreds of children. Hundreds of thousands have also been displaced amid the ongoing fighting.
