A group of Israeli teenagers were attacked overnight on the Greek island of Rhodes, hours after pro-Palestinian demonstrators reportedly blocked Israeli tourists from disembarking a cruise ship on a different island.
Some of the teens were physically assaulted, with at least one of the attackers filming the encounter, according to the victims. The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, following tensions outside a popular local nightclub.
Shachar Gutman, one of the teens involved, described a chaotic scene that began after he and ten friends left a club around 3 a.m. local time. “We were at the ‘Hakuna Matata’ club celebrating, and then we heard that pro-Palestinians were clashing with Israelis outside,” he told Ynetnews. “We decided to avoid trouble and head back to our apartment. As we left, someone approached us and asked if we were Israeli.”
Gutman said the man initially claimed to support Israel and peace, but then called over a large group of people. “Suddenly 30 to 40 of them started running at us,” he said. “At first we thought it wasn’t serious, but then we heard motorcycles speeding toward us. That’s when we knew we had to hide.”
The group scattered. Gutman said he jumped over a wall, while others hid behind a van, in bushes, or down stairwells. “One of them was caught behind a van, kicked, and begged them not to hurt him. They filmed him and let him go,” he said.
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Gutman messaged his parents during the incident at 4:36 a.m., writing, “Answer urgently, they’re chasing us.” He later told them he was hiding and didn’t know where the others were.
Local police were contacted, and a friend who had stayed at their rental apartment arranged a taxi to collect those in hiding. Police later escorted the teens back to the apartment.
“We’ve never been that afraid,” Gutman said. “We just wanted to enjoy a night out — and suddenly people with knives were running at us.”
Gutman’s mother, Orit, said the group had gone to a venue known to attract Israelis. “When they saw there were pro-Palestinian agitators inside, they tried to leave — but a group was waiting outside and started chasing them,” she told Ynetnews. “Some of the boys were beaten. My son managed to hide and called us. Two Swedish nationals later helped take them to their hotel and called police, who brought them back to their rental and then to the airport.”