Two pilgrims and two security guards have been killed in an attack by gunmen near Africa’s oldest place of worship on the Tunisian island of Djerba.
The attack occurred during the annual pilgrimage to the island, which attracts Jewish pilgrims from Europe and Israel.
A guard reportedly shot and killed his colleague before opening fire on pilgrims and security forces near a synagogue.
His motive was not clear.
The two dead pilgrims were brothers.
Israeli media identified them as 42-year-old French citizen Benjamin Haddad and 30-year-old Aviel Haddad, who are dual citizens of Tunisia and Israel.
Relative Mordechai Mudar told JEE News that “he was shot – killed in cold blood. He was just in the car park and had to go in front of the entrance for a security check.”
Four other pilgrims and five members of the security forces were injured.
It is not clear whether the pilgrims were pilgrims visiting the Garba shrine. Video posted online, which has not been independently verified, shows bystanders fleeing as gunshots ring out.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre said the French government condemns this heinous act in the strongest possible terms.
More than 5,000 Jews participated in the pilgrimage to Gariba in 2022, JEE News reported, citing local organizers.
This is not the first time that the 2,500-year-old synagogue has been targeted.
A 2002 bombing, claimed by Islamist militants from al-Qaeda, killed more than 20 people on the island.
The annual pilgrimage to Djerba, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the capital Tunis, has been under tight security since the bombing.
Tunisia is a majority Muslim country, but Djerba is home to hundreds of Jews.
