Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has condemned the recent vandalism of the Western Wall, after pro-Palestinian graffiti was discovered on its southern section. The slogan, which read “There is a holocaust in Gaza,” was first reported by Israeli Channel 12, which later confirmed that police had arrested a 27-year-old Jerusalem resident suspected of the act. Similar graffiti was also found in central Jerusalem.
Calling the incident “a heinous act and a red line that cannot be crossed,” Katz described the vandalism as an attack on the Jewish people. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also criticised the act, vowing that police would work swiftly to bring the perpetrator to justice.
The vandalism comes amid heightened tensions over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. The crisis deepened after Israel severed ties with the UN Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA), which had managed aid distribution in the territory. Hundreds of UNRWA centres have since closed, replaced by just four facilities run by the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund. Rights groups have reported incidents of Israeli troops firing on Palestinians waiting for aid.
The ongoing conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack and cross-border assault on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking over 200 hostages. Israel responded with Operation Iron Swords, targeting both military and civilian infrastructure in Gaza and imposing a complete blockade on water, electricity, food, fuel, and medicine.
Since then, the war has escalated, with fighting spreading to Lebanon and Yemen and missile exchanges between Israel and Iran. According to reports, the conflict has claimed more than 60,000 Palestinian lives and about 1,500 Israeli lives.