Up First from NPR
Israeli Embassy Employees Killed, Israel's Occupation Plans, Trump Bill Latest
Thu, 22 May 2025
Officials in Israel and Washington are condemning the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees outside a Jewish museum in Washington. Plus, Israel seeks full control of Gaza as a condition to end its war with Hamas, and Republicans close in on passage of a massive bill at the heart of President Trump's domestic agenda.Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Gigi Douban, Kevin Drew, Carrie Kahn, Kelsey Snell, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Zac Coleman and Josh Sauvagvau. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What happened to the Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C.?
Two Israeli embassy employees were shot to death in Washington, D.C. last night outside of a Jewish museum. Local and federal authorities are investigating.
The killings come as Israel faces pressure over a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
I'm Michelle Martin with A. Martinez, and this is Up First from NPR News. Aid is starting to trickle into Gaza after Israel lifted a nearly three-month blockade on food and other essentials. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also says he intends for Israel to take full control of the enclave.
And House Republicans are racing to pass President Trump's domestic agenda before Memorial Day.
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Chapter 2: What are the circumstances surrounding the shooting incident?
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Two staff members with the Israeli embassy in Washington were shot and killed outside an event in downtown D.C. last night.
The shooter, police say, chanted Free Palestine after being detained. President Trump has condemned the shooting, calling it an act of anti-Semitism. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his heart ached for the victims.
NPR's Becky Sullivan joins us now. Becky, what do we know about what happened?
Yeah, so this took place right around 9 p.m. last night here in D.C. It was just outside an event for young Jewish foreign policy professionals. The event was put on by an advocacy organization called the American Jewish Committee. It was held at a local Jewish museum in downtown D.C., just under a mile from the capital.
Outside this event, a man was observed pacing back and forth, police said, and then a group of four people left this foreign policy professional networking event. And the man opened fire, killed two of them. And so here's the D.C. police chief, Pamela Smith, speaking to reporters about this late last night.
After the shooting, the suspect then entered the museum and was detained by event security. The suspect chanted, free, free Palestine.
And there's a video of him circulating on social media of this exact moment that the police chief described. There's a keffiyeh with him, which is the recognizable scarf of the Palestinian movement. You can clearly hear him say those words, free, free Palestine, before he is... Quickly detained by security, I mean, taken outside.
Police say they have intentionally identified this man as Elias Rodriguez, the 30-year-old from Chicago, they say. This early stage, apparently no prior encounters with law enforcement. And still, obviously, a lot to learn about when and why he came to D.C., whether these victims were targeted specifically.
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Chapter 3: Who were the victims of the shooting?
It's a young couple about to be engaged. The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem. They were a beautiful couple who came to enjoy an evening in Washington's cultural center.
Obviously, just incredibly tragic situation.
Yeah, sure sounds that way. What's the reaction been from officials from everywhere?
Yeah. I mean, there has been an outpouring of statements of condemnation from politicians, diplomats in the U.S. and Israel and beyond. I mean, this is an incident that involves diplomatic staff on foreign soil. It's a really big deal. You mentioned a Yahoo statement earlier. He blamed this attack on rising anti-Semitism and what he called incitement against Israel.
He also said he had ordered an increase to security at Israeli diplomatic missions around the world. Here in the U.S., the condemnation came from both sides of the aisle. President Trump, as you mentioned, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a brazen act of cowardly anti-Semitic violence.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said anti-Semitism is a threat to all we hold dear as a society, must be confronted and rooted out everywhere. So a lot of unity there in this response.
That's NPR's Becky Sullivan. Becky, thanks for getting us up to date here.
You're so welcome. Moving to Gaza now, a trickle of aid has entered the enclave this morning. Israel has begun letting in aid trucks this week after its nearly three-month-long total blockade of everything from food to medicine.
The United Nations says a handful of bakeries are now operational in south and central Gaza. And last night, in its first press conference with Israeli journalists in five months, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his plan to expand the war.
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Chapter 4: What reactions have been made by officials regarding the shooting?
Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and he staunchly defended Israel's sovereign right to conduct the war as they need to. In a statement, Hamas condemned Netanyahu's pledge to Trump's plan, saying it undermined Washington's role as a, quote, mediator.
And I'd like to mention the UN's human rights chief said that Israel's plan to force people to move under airstrikes, the methodical destruction of entire neighborhoods, the denial of humanitarian assistance, he said that all of this appears to be a push for a permanent demographic shift in Gaza. And that is against international law. And he said it is, quote, tantamount to ethnic cleansing.
Hadil, what have we heard from Palestinians inside Gaza?
Well, under this major international pressure, Israel finally said it would allow a, quote, minimal amount of aid into Gaza. According to the UN, about 200 trucks entered carrying some critical supplies. That's compared to 600 trucks which were crossing daily during the January ceasefire. So the UN is really calling this week's development a, quote, drop in the ocean.
NPR's Enes Baba met a woman at the malnutrition department of a hospital in Gaza City. Elham Abdelhafid was carrying her one-year-old daughter. She can't find milk to feed her baby anymore, so she's been giving her water instead. My daughter is very thin, the mother says. She was in hospital because of malnutrition, hooked up to needles and IVs.
I'd cry every day, my heart breaking for her, she said.
Sahadeel, if we could turn to the fatal shooting last night in D.C., what's the reaction that you're hearing in Israel?
There's been a string of condemnation from here. Israeli President Isaac Herzog and the foreign minister are calling or called the shooting despicable and anti-Semitic. The foreign ministry posted a statement saying, quote, may their memory be a blessing. And Netanyahu has said that he's instructed to increase security at Israeli missions around the world.
That is NPR's Hadil Alshalchi in Tel Aviv. Hadil, thank you.
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Chapter 5: What is Israel's plan for Gaza following the blockade?
from his own fiscal hawks in the chamber, as well as moderate concerns about those potential Medicaid cuts. So they've already made clear they plan to make a lot of changes to this House bill.
So maybe the landing gear isn't on the plane. Exactly.
They've got to switch it out.
NPR's Claudia Grisales, thanks a lot.
Thank you.
And finally, the Justice Department says it wants to withdraw an oversight agreement negotiated with the Minneapolis Police Department. City leaders and the Justice Department signed the federal consent decree after a white police officer killed George Floyd, who was black, five years ago. They made the agreement just before President Biden left office.
Now, the Trump Justice Department says it's factually unjustified. More on that story on Morning Edition, the radio show, and on our website, NPR.org.
And that's Up First for Thursday, May 22nd. I'm Michelle Martin.
And I'm Amy Martinez. How about listening to Consider This from NPR? Up First covers three or more big stories of the day. Consider This gives you one story in depth in less than 15 minutes. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts.
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