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A Syrian migrant allegedly beat a 65-year-old member of the Germany-Israel Friendship Association on Monday in Höchberg, Bavaria, after spotting an Israeli flag pin on the victim’s clothing.
German prosecutors have opened an investigation into attempted murder.
The victim was waiting at a traffic light when the assailant approached. According to local police, the pair began discussing the war in Gaza before the suspect suddenly punched the older man in the face.
The attacker knocked him to the ground and kicked him repeatedly in the head and torso. When the victim tried to escape, his assailant chased and continued the assault until officers intervened.
Doctors treated the victim for a fractured vertebra. He remains in intensive care with serious injuries, while his attacker sits in pretrial custody.
Volker Beck, president of the Germany-Israel Friendship Association, condemned the assault. “Enough is enough,” he said. “Anyone who demonizes Israel through accusations of genocide and apartheid creates the climate for attacks like this. No one in Germany fears for their personal safety when displaying Palestinian symbols, but anyone wearing an Israeli symbol is no longer safe in public.”
Martin Heilig, mayor of Würzburg, called it “a clear and unequivocal case of antisemitism, hatred and violence that has no place in Würzburg or our district.” Prosecutors suspect Islamist ideology drove the attack.
A record-high total of 8,725 antisemitic incidents were recorded in Germany in 2025, according to RIAS, the country’s Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism.
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