An Israeli diplomat has been stabbed in Beijing, according to a statement reportedly by the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Friday (13th October). The staffer is receiving medical treatment at a hospital and is stable.
According to i24News, this was a “possible terrorist attack”. According to a post by Swarajya on X, formerly Twitter, the attack was not close to the Israeli embassy. The attacker’s motive is under investigation.
A purported video of the attack has been going viral on the internet. The video shows the attacker, dressed in a white shirt, armed with what appears to be a long knife. The video shows the attacker stabbing the diplomat at least 5 times aiming at his throat and coming repeatedly at him while the diplomat tried to fight the attacker off.
The sidewalk – where the Israeli victim is seen struggling to save himself – is full of blood as passersby watch in horror. The shocking crime happened in broad daylight in the Chinese capital.
An X account named QuickUpdate (@BigBreakingWire) shared the video and wrote, “From the video, it appears that the assailant is not Chinese but also does not have the typical appearance of an Arab person.”
The incident has come amid calls by Hamas to Muslims across the world to observe Friday prayers as the “day of rage” and “day of Jihad” against Israel amid the ongoing war after their brutal attack against Israeli civilians on the day of Sabbath.
Following the call for terrorism by Hamas, Israel has warned its citizens worldwide to take extra care even as pro-Palestine and anti-semitic protests have been staged in several cities around the world.
This comes amid brewing tensions between Israel and China over the latter’s lack of condemnation for the terrorist attack by Hamas on 7th October. Israel’s Foreign Ministry had expressed “deep disappointment” with China’s statements concerning Hamas’s assault on Israel.
The deputy director for Asia and the Pacific at the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Rafi Harpaz said that the messages from China have “no clear and unambiguous condemnation of the terrible attack and heinous massacre committed by the terrorist organisation Hamas against innocent civilians and the abduction of dozens of them to Gaza”.
It was only after the Israeli ambassador called on Beijing to engage in talks around the conflict that China made its first public contact with Israel. Even as China has said it was “saddened” by the Israeli casualties, it has failed to condemn Hamas.