UN Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned the “appalling killing” of two Israeli embassy officials in the United States capital, stressing that “nothing can justify such a horrific act,” his Spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday. 

The diplomats were gunned down on Wednesday night as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in central Washington DC, where the American Jewish Committee was hosting a reception. 

They were identified as Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, who were about to be engaged, according to officials and family members. A suspect was taken into custody.

Justice and sympathy

“The Secretary-General reiterates his consistent condemnation of attacks against diplomatic officials,” the statement said.

He called for the perpetrator to be brought to justice and extended his sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims and to the Government of Israel.

The lone suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, was apprehended shortly after the murders.  

He shouted pro-Palestinian slogans while in custody, according to media reports.

A ‘heinous antisemitic act’

The head of a UN platform that promotes intercultural dialogue and understanding also voiced his strong condemnation.

“This heinous antisemitic act is unacceptable and unjustifiable. My thoughts go to their families, their colleagues, and the State of Israel,” said Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).

Virginia Gamba, Acting UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, called for an end to antisemitism saying “there is no place in the world where such a horrific antisemitic hate crime as the murders of Mr. Yaron Lischinsky and Miss Sarah Milgrim can be justified.” 

Senior politicians from across the world have also expressed their condemnation.

The killings occurred against the backdrop of the war in Gaza, which began on 7 October 2023 following Hamas-led attacks on Israel which left roughly 1,200 people dead while another 250 were taken hostage.  More than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the health authorities.

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar described the attack as “the direct consequence of the virulent and toxic antisemitic rhetoric against Israel and Jewish communities around the world that has been going on since October 7.”

‘An unbearable loss’

Mr. Lischinsky was a research assistant in the political department at the Israeli Embassy in Washington while Ms. Milgrim organized trips to Israel, according to media reports.

They were killed after attending the American Jewish Committee's annual Young Diplomats reception which this year focused on response to humanitarian crises throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

The Spokesperson of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Tal Naim, described their deaths as “an unbearable loss.”

She tweeted a photo of the couple below a message which said that “instead of walking you down the aisle, we are walking with you to your graves.”