Who was Paul Kessler? How did he die? What have police said?
Paul Kessler died after allegedly being beaten when pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protesters clashed in California.
People around the world are protesting amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, along with a ground assault and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country is at war.
As of November 7, over 1,400 people had been killed in Israel, and an additional 242 were kidnapped and taken to Gaza as hostages. The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war surpassed 10,300, including more than 4,200 children, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, per the AP.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office said Kessler’s death was a homicide caused by a blunt-force head injury.
Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man, lived in Thousands Oaks, about 40 miles west of Los Angeles, with his wife, Cheryl.
According to a local synagogue, he was interested in Israel and peace in the Middle East.
Cheryl Kessler is believed to have worked previously in the insurance business and grew up in California.
Ventura County police are expected to hold a press conference at 10 a.m. Los Angeles time on Tuesday morning when they will give an update on the man arrested for the attack. Kessler died in hospital on Monday, a day after the alleged assault.
Kessler was waving an Israeli flag when pro-Palestinian demonstrators allegedly confronted his group. A pro-Palestinian protester allegedly beat Kessler over the head with a megaphone during the confrontation on Sunday.
