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US Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem Mourns Victims of DC Jewish Museum Shooting at Jerusalem Memorial Event
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stand next to a memorial honoring Yaron Lishinsky and Sarah Milgrom in Jerusalem on Monday, May 26, 2025. Photo: Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS
US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Monday participated in a Jerusalem memorial service honoring the lives of murdered Israeli embassy staffers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, praising the slain couple as unwavering advocates for peace between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbors.
“Today, we stand together with profound grief, and our hearts are heavy with the loss of these two radiant souls that we will no longer have with us,” Noem said. “In this moment of sorrow, we also ask that you would gather with us to honor their light and the unbreakable spirit of the Israeli and the American people.”
“Friends and family shared of Sarah that she glowed with warmth and compassion, dedicating her life to fostering peace and understanding,” Noem continued. “Their love for each other, a bond that was so strong that Yaron had already chosen a ring to propose to Sarah here in Jerusalem, reminds us of the dreams that terrorism seeks to destroy every single day — but we will not let hatred have the final word.”
Lischinsky, 30, and Milgrim, 26, who worked at the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, and were set to become engaged to be married, were murdered last Wednesday night in what authorities are investigating as a targeted attack. The victims were fatally shot while exiting an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) at the Capital Jewish Museum in the US capital.
Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old Chicago native, was charged with murdering the diplomats in what is being investigated as a possible hate crime. An affidavit filed by US federal authorities in support of the criminal complaint charging Rodriguez revealed that he said at the scene of the shooting, “I did it for Palestine; I did it for Gaza.” He also chanted “Free Palestine, Free Palestine” after being taken into custody, according to video of the incident.
Noem has emphasized issuing punishment and deportation for non-US citizens who support antisemitic violence and terrorism. Although Rodriguez is a US citizen, US intelligence agencies have warmed of Iran and Qatar spearheading misinformation efforts to radicalize Americans against Israel.
On Monday, Noem said that Lischinsky and Milgrim “stood for something that was much larger than themselves.”
“They have lived a life of significance that has forever changed us. Together they embody the very best of Israel: courageous, hopeful and dedicated to peace,” she added.
Noem arrived in Israel on Sunday evening just as Jerusalem Day festivities were beginning. The holiday, known in Hebrew as Yom Yerushalayim, commemorates Israel’s reunification of Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. For many Israelis, the day symbolizes the restoration of Jewish access to historic and religious sites, particularly in the Old City, including the Western Wall. Jerusalem Day is marked with parades, prayers, and nationalist celebrations, though it remains politically sensitive due to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and differing views on the status of East Jerusalem.
According to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Noem became the first US cabinet-level official to participate in the observance. While in Jerusalem, Noem visited the Western Wall, where she paused to pray and placed a note in one of its cracks.
On Sunday night, Noem also met with Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also in attendance. According to a statement from Ben-Gvir’s office, he thanked Noem for the US’s strident support of Israel, as well as for President Donald Trump’s proposals for Gaza once the current war ends. His plan, though not officially detailed, has reportedly included ideas such as international oversight, the possible involvement of Arab states in reconstruction, the potential relocation of Palestinians to neighboring countries, and efforts to prevent the terrorist group Hamas from regaining control — positions that align with Israeli security concerns.
The post US Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem Mourns Victims of DC Jewish Museum Shooting at Jerusalem Memorial Event first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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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.