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.

Kessler was struck in the head and subsequently fell to the ground, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

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.