Berlin synagogue attacked with Molotov cocktails as war rages in the Middle East

A Berlin synagogue has been attacked with Molotov cocktails amid an rise in antisemitic incidents in Germany surrounding the Israel-Palestine war.

The Kahal Adass Jisroel community said its synagogue in the Mitte area of the city was attacked with two incendiary devices on Wednesday morning.

The community group wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "Unknown persons threw two Molotov cocktails from the street," the community wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Police confirmed the incident, and dozens of officers were spotted investigating in front of the synagogue this morning. Responding to the attack, the German Central Council of Jews said in a statement: "We are all shocked by this terrorist attack. Above all, the families from the neighbourhood around the synagogue are shocked and unsettled. Words become deeds. Hamas' ideology of extermination against everything Jewish is also having an effect in Germany."

Police also said there were riots overnight between migrants and police in the city's Neukoelln and Kreuzberg neighbourhoods and at Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate, in which several officers were injured. Following Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza, police have increased security for Jewish institutions in Berlin and all over Germany.

Israeli flags that were flown as a sign of solidarity in front of city halls all over the country have reportedly been torn down and burned. Several buildings in Berlin where Jews live had the Star of David painted on doors and walls. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly condemned the synagogue attack on Wednesday, saying: "We will never accept when attacks are carried out against Jewish institutions." Speaking to reporters during a trip to Egypt, he said Germany will not accept violent and antisemitic protests and that the protection of Jewish institutions will be further increased. He added: "It outrages me personally what some of them are shouting and doing, and I am convinced that Germany's citizen are of the same opinion as me. We stand united for the protection also of Jews,"

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