Israeli museum victim 'was planning to propose'

Yaron Lischinsky was preparing to propose to his girlfriend Sarah Milgrim. He had just bought an engagement ring, and planned to ask on a trip to Jerusalem next week.

But on Wednesday night in Washington, they were shot dead by a man who shouted "free Palestine" outside the Capital Jewish Museum as they left an event billed by organisers as a discussion of the Gaza crisis that aimed to "turn pain into purpose".

Their deaths have shocked colleagues at the Israeli embassy, sparked international outrage and prompted Israeli leaders to blame "rising hostility" and antisemitism after Hamas attacked the country on 7 October, 2023.

The ambassador in Washington Yechiel Leiter, paid tribute to the pair as a "beautiful couple".

They were "to be engaged", he said. "The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem."

Mr Lischinsky, 28, worked in the embassy's political department while Ms Milgrim, 26, had been a part of the public diplomacy department for a year and a half.

He was a German-born Israeli citizen, served three years in the Israel Defence Forces and held a master's degree in government diplomacy and strategy from Reichman University.

He described himself on LinkedIn as "proud to call both Jerusalem and Nuremberg home" and as a wanting to "expand the circle of peace with our Arab neighbour".

According to her LinkedIn profile, Ms Milgrim had master's degrees in international studies from the American University and another in natural resources and sustainable development from the UN University for Peace, as well as a bachelor's in environmental studies from the University of Kansas.

The German-Israeli Society said Mr Lischinsky would be ed as "an open-minded, intelligent and deeply committed person" who "brightened the environment around him".

Tech2Peace, an advocacy group training young Palestinians and Israelis and promoting dialogue between them, said Ms Milgrim was an active volunteer who "brought people together with empathy and purpose".

"Her dedication to building a better future was evident in everything she did," it said. "Her voice and spirit will be profoundly missed."

The Israeli embassy said that its "entire staff is heartbroken and devastated" by the couple's deaths. "No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this terrible loss."

The shooting has led to heightened security at Israeli diplomatic missions around the world.

The deaths come as the war in Gaza enters is nineteenth month, following the Hamas-led assault of 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Since then, Israel's military response has killed more than 53,000 people in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to the territory's health ministry.

Aid agencies and foreign governments, including Britain, have warned of an escalating humanitarian catastrophe, with famine looming.

Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, is in custody and being questioned over Mr Lischinsky and Ms Milgrim's deaths.