Two Israelis, who are among the more than 30 surviving victims injured in the New Orleans terror attack, are reservists who were granted leave from the Hamas war and decided to come to the United States as tourists, an Israeli diplomat told Fox News Digital.
Elad Shoshan, consul of Israel for the Southwest United States, is based in Houston but traveled to New Orleans in the aftermath of the truck-ramming attack that also killed 14 victims celebrating New Year's Day on the famed Bourbon Street.
Shoshan said the families of the two injured Israelis would like their names kept private. They are not local and are two Israeli tourists. Both men are in their mid-to-late 20s and decided to come to the United States for about a month and a half.
"They came after a long time being, serving as soldiers in Israel and the war, and they got leave that they can go and just freshen up or take their mind out of things. And that was the purpose for them to come here and to travel," Shoshan told Fox News Digital. "They were called on reserve to serve in the current war. So they participated and took part and contributed like many other Israeli citizens that were call for reserve. And again, came here to travel."
As soon as he learned Israelis were injured in New Orleans, Shoshan said he hopped on a plane to the city and was in contact with federal authorities. He said law enforcement told him the Israelis were not specifically targeted.
"What we know till now that it wasn't an attack against Israelis or Jewish people specifically, it was an attack against Americans, against tourists from all over the world to see how they can – how the perpetrator can inflict as much damage as possible and unfortunately kill as much people as possible," Shoshan told Fox News Digital. "They were in the line of the ramming path, and they were hit by the ramming at quite, quite the beginning."
The FBI said that the now-deceased suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, sped a rented Ford pick-up through a crowd of Bourbon Street revelers in the attack that officials say was inspired by the Islamic State.
Federal investigators now say they believe Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran and American citizen, became radicalized. He grew up Muslim in Texas.
Shoshan said it was an "unfortunate irony" that two Israelis who fought terrorism in their home after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks fell victim to terror in the United States.
The diplomat added a warning to the U.S. about Islamic extremist ideology, arguing anti-Israel protests in American cities and Ivy League campuses that include antisemitic rhetoric and calls for a "global intifada" signal that "the West is next."
"It's an unfortunate irony that we face it in the Middle East and Israel day in, day out all the time prior to Oct. 7. But a lot after Oct. 7. And I think that they definitely do not expect it to have a terror attack in the French Quarter in New Orleans and the New Year's Eve," Shoshan said. "If you read the signs and, when I say read the signs, I'm talking about the actual plaque. When they say, when people demonstrate and say ‘globalize the intifada,’ and we say the West is next."
"People are not just saying that people are actually rooting in, wanting violence, people wanting to kill, people wanting to cause damage and want to cause terror. But we see that more and more around the world. We see it happening in the U.S., and we saw it in the past," he said. "Nothing new caused this this this simple hatred that we face in Israel every day for many, many years. And I think that the West, mainly our greatest ally, the U.S., seeing so much hateful rhetoric, so much demonstrating against the West, against America, against Israel, saying loud and clear that they want to export the violence from the Middle East towards the US. And we saw it happening just two days ago."
The terror threat has been amplified in the U.S. with the border crisis. The FBI found bomb-making materials at Shabbar's home in a majority-Muslim Houston neighborhood.
Shoshan said in just the past year, Houston had seen two separate arrests of individuals who allegedly came across the border with the intention of hurting Israelis, Jews and, specifically, the Israeli consulate in Houston.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK
"I think that the main message that we see from Israel towards the U.S. is just to be firm by any action, by any means necessary. Meaning that if you want to extinguish a fire, you can extinguish 80% of it 100% because the other 20% will rise again and will collect more fire and more damage later. We see in Israel that in order to eradicate terror, we need to focus on it only to deal with it on a daily basis," Shoshan said. "I've been in communication with the authorities here."
"The FBI and other agencies are helpful and tremendously assisting us in this time. And I hope that the American people will better understand that we're facing something that is mutual," he added. "The threat is mutual, is not only our part in the world, but it's a global threat. And in this situation, you have to be firm. You have to do anything and everything possible to take out that threat."
The two injured Israelis were supposed to end their U.S. trip in Florida with an uncle but never made it there. The uncle came to New Orleans in the aftermath of the attack, as did the victims' immediate family, who flew in from Israel.
Shoshan said the men ended up going to New Orleans on New Year's Eve and "basically stumbled by accident to the scene."
One of the men was more severely injured than the other. He suffered head trauma, internal injuries and limb injuries. Shoshan said doctors are still trying to stabilize him after he has already undergone "two operations in his head."
"We're hoping that the next few days will decide and determine that he's going to survive it. We hope and pray for that," Shoshan said.
The second Israeli was more moderately hurt and has undergone two different surgeries on his limbs, Shoshan said. He also has internal injuries but has shown significant progress in the last 48 hours, the diplomat added.
"He seems much more stable, communicative and responsive," Shoshan said.
Shoshan thanked the medical staff and authorities in Louisiana, as well as the FBI. He said he was also grateful for the outpouring of support from the small Jewish community in New Orleans of about 12,000 people.
"Us in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we will do whatever it takes to support and to help and aid every Israeli in need, no matter where is it," he said. "And no matter what happened to him or her, we do it all over the world. And that's part of our role as diplomats based in different missions around the world."
