Washington shooting ‘2nd Mossad failure’ in a year: Israeli media
Maariv says Mossad failed to issue intelligence warning about attack
JERUSALEM / ANKARA
Israeli media called the death of two embassy staffers in a shooting in Washington the “second security failure” for Israel’s intelligence service Mossad in a year.
A gunman opened fire near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C., Wednesday night, killing two Israeli embassy staff members. Upon his arrest, the gunman shouted "Free Palestine," according to a video that went viral on social media.
"The security establishment is supposed to launch a comprehensive investigation into security and intelligence failures following the deadly attack in Washington,” Maariv daily said.
"The failure to prevent the attack appears to intersect with all three Israeli security agencies: the Mossad, the Shin Bet, and the Foreign Ministry's security department," it added.
The newspaper said the Mossad is responsible for collecting intelligence information about the site, where the incident occurred.
“It appears that the Mossad had failed for the second time in a year to generate an intelligence warning,” it added.
Maariv said the first Mossad failure happened during a UEFA League football match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax Amsterdam last November, claiming that hundreds of Israeli fans were attacked by pro-Palestinian groups.
At that time, Jazie Veldhuyzen, an Amsterdam city senior councilor, confirmed that Israeli hooligans instigated the violence in Amsterdam.
Maariv said it was unclear whether the Mossad provided any warning about the attacker's identity or his plans in Washington.
The attack came amid growing global outrage over Israel's ongoing genocidal war against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, which entered its 20th month.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 53,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
