US: Elderly Jewish Man Dies After Clash With Pro-Palestine Protesters In California

Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man, died after sustaining injuries during a confrontation with pro-Palestinian protesters in Westlake Village, California.

The incident occurred during a protest focused on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, considering the possibility of a hate crime.

Paul, who was a Israel, passed away due to a head injury sustained during a rally in Thousand Oaks on Sunday.

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office stated that he was confronted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the event.

The sheriff's office confirmed on Monday that the cause of his death was blunt force trauma to the head, ruling it a homicide.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles stated that Kessler was hit with a megaphone, although authorities did not confirm that.

A man was seen lying on the pavement with blood on his head in a video posted on X. Two individuals, one of whom was a woman wearing a "Free Palestine" jacket, were observed attempting to assist him.

Moshe Bryski, a local rabbi from Chabad of Agoura Hills told New York Post that Kessler was a counter-protester to a pro-Palestinian demonstration, and that he was “not a closet Zionist – he wore it like a badge of honor".

Bryski mentioned that he was both a "proud Jew and proud Israel supporter".

The sheriff's office has confirmed that no arrests have been made in relation to the incident.