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British Jews Say Yom Kippur Attack Was Just a Matter of Time as Israel Demands UK Crack Down on ‘Incitement’
People gather near the scene, after an attack in which a car was driven at pedestrians and stabbings were reported at a synagogue in north Manchester, Britain, on Yom Kippur, Oct. 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Phil Noble
British Jewish leaders warned that Thursday’s terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester was a long-feared tragedy, accusing the government of fueling a hostile environment and rising anti-Jewish hatred through its anti-Israel rhetoric.
On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and holiest day of the year in Judaism, a man identified by police as Jihad al-Shamie, 35, drove a car onto the grounds of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester, northern England, and went on a stabbing spree, leaving two Jewish men dead and at least three others critically injured.
The attack occurred as the congregation gathered to observe Yom Kippur and ended seven minutes later, when police shot the assailant dead.
The chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, said the attack was a tragedy the British Jewish community had long feared — “the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come.”
“For so long we have witnessed an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, on campuses, on social media, and elsewhere — this is the tragic result,” Mirvis wrote in a post on X.
“This not only an assault on the Jewish community, but an attack on the very foundations of humanity and the values of compassion, dignity, and respect which we all share,” he continued.
Our hearts are shattered.
Emerging from the holy fast of Yom Kippur, British Jews are now grasping the full extent of today’s terror attack at the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester.
This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come.
For…
— Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis (@chiefrabbi) October 2, 2025
Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, also condemned the deadly terrorist attack, calling on the British government to take stronger action to “stamp out murderous ideologies.”
“Jews in Manchester, England, woke up this morning to pray, and were murdered in their own synagogue. Governments from the world over should spare us the statements about fighting antisemitism and instead ensure Jews are safe,” Goldschmidt wrote in a post on X.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar strongly denounced the attack and accused British authorities of inciting hatred, saying the local Jewish community in Britain is “currently suffering from a horrific wave of antisemitism.”
“The truth must be told: blatant and rampant antisemitic and anti-Israeli incitement, as well as calls of support for terror, have recently become a widespread phenomenon in the streets of London, in cities across Britain, and on its campuses,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.
“The authorities in Britain have failed to take the necessary action to curb this toxic wave of antisemitism and have effectively allowed it to persist,” Saar continued.
“We expect more than words from the Starmer government,” he added, referring to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “We expect and demand a change of course, effective action, and enforcement against the rampant antisemitic and anti-Israeli incitement in Britain.”
I am appalled by the murderous attack near the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester on the morning of the holiest day for the Jewish people: Yom Kippur.
My deepest condolences go to the families who have lost their loved ones,and I wish a swift and full recovery to the injured.…— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) October 2, 2025
As the investigation continues and the local Jewish community mourns the victims of the deadly attack, the British government has called for an anti-Israel protest scheduled for Saturday in London to be canceled. The demonstration is being organized by a group called Defend Our Juries to oppose the British government’s decision in July to ban the group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws.
Raucous anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian demonstrations erupted in London on Yom Kippur on Thursday, following the attack in Manchester.
Pro-Pals took over the streets of central London last night. Set off fireworks in the busiest parts. Chanted for Israel’s destruction. And I don’t see a single police officer. So do racist thugs run our capital now? It’s like a nightmare dystopia. @metpoliceuk pic.twitter.com/AA6VqwNQ4K
— Heidi Bachram
(@HeidiBachram) October 2, 2025
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urged demonstrators to “step back” from plans to hold marches this weekend.
“I do think that carrying on in this way does feel un-British, it feels wrong,” Mahmood said.
However, the anti-Israel group behind protests against the ban on Palestine Action announced it still intends to proceed with the march.
In a statement, the group called on local police to “prioritize protecting the community, rather than arresting those peacefully holding signs” in support of Palestine Action.
Mahmood also said she was “disappointed” that pro-Palestinian protests went ahead on Thursday in the aftermath of the synagogue attack.
As British Jews gathered to observe Yom Kippur, widespread anti-Israel demonstrations erupted across the UK. In Manchester, a pro-Palestinian protest unfolded in the city center, while in London, clashes broke out between police and demonstrators opposing the Israeli navy’s interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla.
Decent folk mourn the horrific terrorist murder of Jews in Manchester
Yet this bunch see fit to hoot and toot in London; perhaps they are pro Hamas? pic.twitter.com/cI5Dm1xHoN
— Richard Tice MP
(@TiceRichard) October 2, 2025
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.