2023 Djerba shooting

On 9 May 2023, a shooting occurred outside the El Ghriba Synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia. The gunman, a national guardsman, shot and killed a colleague and seized his ammunition, and proceeded to the synagogue, where thousands of pilgrims were celebrating the holiday of Lag BaOmer. The shooter killed two visitors and two police officers, and wounded eight others before being killed by security forces. The motive for the attack is unknown.

Background

The El Ghriba Synagogue is the site of an annual pilgrimage, attracting thousands of visitors each year to celebrate the holiday of Lag BaOmer. The synagogue has been targeted by Islamist militants and has previously experienced attacks. In 1985, three people were killed and 11 wounded during the festival of Simchat Torah when a local policeman responsible for guarding the synagogue fired into a crowd of Jews. In 2002, al-Qaeda militants attacked the synagogue with a truck bomb, resulting in the deaths of 21 people. Since then, the number of pilgrims has not reached 10,000 attendants as it once did. Security measures have been put in place to prevent such attacks and the pilgrimage is seen as an annual test for Tunisian security forces. Tunisia has a sizeable Jewish community of around 1,800 members. The country's last major attack took place in 2020 when an explosion outside the US embassy killed one security officer.

Attack

The assailant, Wissam Khazri, a member of the Tunisian National Guard, killed his colleague at the naval center in Aghir, before taking his ammunition and heading towards the synagogue, about half an hour’s drive away from the center. He arrived on a quad bike wearing body armor and parked the bike in a schoolyard about 200 meters away from the synagogue, which contained a few hundred worshipers at the time. As he moved away from the schoolyard, and after monitoring the movements of a traffic police vehicle parked nearby, he opened fire indiscriminately at security units at around 8:13 PM, killing two worshipers who attempted to hide behind a nearby bus, as well as two police officers. He was immediately surrounded by security forces and shot dead before he could reach the entrance of synagogue, which was subsequently locked down. According to the interior minister, the gunman was killed 2 minutes after his arrival. Most tourists had already left the synagogue at the time of the shooting. According to organizers, more than 5,000 people were participating in this year's pilgrimage.

The two civilians killed were identified as cousins, a 30-year-old Israeli-Tunisian man and a 42-year-old French-Tunisian man. They died at the scene, as did one of the police officers, while a second police officer succumbed to his injuries later in the hospital. The Ministry of the Interior reported four civilians and four officers injured, including one hospitalized in critical condition.

Tunisian authorities later stated that the attack was premeditated, but gave no explanation for his motives.

Aaron Zelin, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, who specializes in analyzing Islamist extremism in Tunisia, stated that the recent attack appeared to be an isolated incident and lacked the same level of organization as the 2002 attack on the synagogue. According to him, the attack was not sophisticated, and there is a possibility that it was carried out by a lone individual without a broader plot or planning.

Reactions

Tunisian President Kais Saied condemned the attack, blaming "criminals" seeking to create division and to harm the tourism sector and the state. While he expressed condolences to those affected, he did not explicitly mention the targeting of the Jewish community or antisemitism. He also refrained from labeling the incident as terrorism, a term he has used previously to describe the actions of political opponents since assuming significant powers in 2021. Tunisian authorities acted quickly to reassure potential tourists that the country remained a safe destination for travel. Security measures around synagogues and other religious sites throughout the country were increased.

The Ministry of the Interior launched an investigation to determine the motive behind the attack. As the incident occurred at a religious event and at a location of significance to the Jewish community, some observers, including several prominent Tunisian Jewish expats, speculate that the shooter may have been specifically targeting the island's Jewish community.

The French national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office (Parquet national antiterroriste) opened an investigation into the death of the French-Tunisian victim. The investigation has been entrusted to the General Directorate for Internal Security. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his sorrow over the attack on the Ghriba synagogue and conveyed his condolences to the victims and the Tunisian people. He also promised to continue fighting "against anti-Semitic hatred". The French Foreign Ministry expressed its deep sadness and paid tribute to the quick intervention of the Tunisian security forces. The Israelite Central Consistory of France also condemned the shooting, describing it as "cowardly and heinous".

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its condemnation of the killings and extended its condolences to victims' families and the Jewish community in Tunisia while pledging to work towards safeguarding the security of all Israelis who are abroad. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen expressed his sorrow and assured Tunisian Chief Rabbi Haim Bitan that the ministry would continue to support the community and provide whatever assistance is required. Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli stated that according to his office "the incident was preceded by a tense period of shouts and harassment of the Jewish community at the site".

The day before the attack, Deborah Lipstadt, who monitors antisemitism as a US envoy, participated in a ceremony at the synagogue alongside Tunisian officials and US Ambassador to Tunisia Joey Hood. She expressed that she was "sickened and heartbroken by the lethal, antisemitic attack targeting the Ghriba synagogue in Djerba during the Lag B’Omer celebrations".United States Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller condemned the shooting, expressed condolences to the Tunisian people, and praised "the rapid action of Tunisian security forces".

The European Jewish Congress expressed its “shock and outrage”. President Ariel Muzicant stated that “terror attacks continue to target Jews around the world even when they are gathered in prayer, as we know from countless experiences over the years including at this very synagogue”. Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbise, expressed his gratitude and admiration for the security services and emphasized the need for the world to come together and "loudly condemn yet another cowardly attack on Jews at worship".

The Jewish community in Djerba condemned the decision of Tunisian authorities to move the bodies of the two Jewish civilians killed to Tunis for an autopsy. The victims' families and relatives protested outside the hospital where the bodies were transferred, stating that they were not allowed to honor their traditions by reciting verses from the Torah in respect of those killed. The incident caused unrest among the community, with a few expressing frustration and hopelessness about staying in the country. The attack also caused despair among current and former pilgrims to the synagogue and threatens to deal a death blow to the pilgrimage tradition.

According to reporting by The Jerusalem Post, Israeli authorities and the Jewish Agency for Israel had been monitoring a serious threat against the Jewish community in Djerba for several months prior to the attack. The newspaper also reported the existence of a secret plan for massive emigration, but it is unclear whether the Jewish community members in Tunisia are interested in moving to Israel. A senior official at The Jewish Agency denied the existence of such a plan.