Jewish man, 69, dies after confrontation during pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian rallies

Paul Kessler, 69, died after what a witness said was a scuffle with a counter-protester (Picture: ABC7)

A Jewish man who fell backwards and struck his head following an altercation during pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian rallies in California has died.

Paul Kessler, 69, ‘was in a physical altercation with counter-protestor(s)’ on Sunday afternoon in Thousand Oaks, a suburb about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, witnesses said.

At about 3.20pm, sheriffs found the man suffering from a head injury at the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Department said Monday: ‘During the altercation, Kessler fell backwards and struck his head on the ground.’

Which protest he was demonstrating with was not specified by the sheriff’s office.

The Thousand Oaks resident was taken to the hospital and died on Monday.

The incident unfolded in a suburb near the city of Los Angeles (Picture: Yuan Tang)

The county medical examiner ruled the man’s death as a homicide, with the cause of death being a blunt-force head injury.

‘The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident and has not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime,’ the sheriff’s department said.

No arrests have been made.

News of Kessler’s death rattled a local community already on edge amid the deadly and gruelling Israel-Hamas war.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles described Kessler as an ‘elderly Jewish man’ and said it was the fourth act of anti-Semitic violence in the LA area this year – two of which have occurred since the October 7 attacks.

In a statement on X, the federation said: ‘Violence against our community has no place in civilised society. We demand safety.

Pro-Israel and pro-Palestine supporters were holding protests near one another at the time (Picture: X/@buttonslives)

‘We will not tolerate violence against our community. We will do everything in ou power to prevent it.’

Rabbi Michael Barclay of Temple Ner Simcha in Westlake Village, near Thousand Oaks, urged congregants not to jump to assumptions that could ‘start an inferno’.

Police told the rabbi, Barclay said on X, that they have received ‘conflicting reports’ of what happened.

‘Please do not make assumptions or accusations until the police can do their job and/or we get real video,’ he said.

Barclay added: ‘We need to do the same; and not let this become a spark that starts an inferno.’

The Los Angeles branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) ‘expressed grief at the news’ of Kessler’s death yesterday.

The authorities did not specify which side of the duelling protests the elderly man was on (Picture: X/@buttonslives)

The council’s executive director, Hussam Ayloush, said: ‘We join local Jewish leaders in calling on all individuals to refrain from jumping to conclusions, sensationalizing such a tragedy for political gains, or spreading rumours that could unnecessarily escalate tensions that are already at an all-time high.’

Ayloush added: ‘While we strongly support the right of political debate, CAIR-LA and the Muslim community stand with the Jewish community in rejecting any and all violence, antisemitism, Islamophobia, or incitement of hatred.’

Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff will hold a conference today on the incident 10am local time.

The incident comes amid heightened fear of spiralling anti-Semitism and Islamophobia as the Israel-Hamas war continues.

Tens of thousands of people have rallied in the US in support of Palestine.

Pro-Palestine protesters have been spotted waving Palestinian flags and anti-war banners demanding a ceasefire – a position Washington has so far resisted.

Thousands of demonstrators and other supporters took to the streets in Brooklyn in October (Picture: Brian Branch Price/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)

They have marched in grief and solidarity across Washington DC, New York and California, with similar protests clogging up roads in Europe and Asia.

A wave of pro-Israel protests has also swept the world, united in fury over Hamas, which governs Gaza, tearing through the southern border in a bloody attack.

Israel supporters draped in white and blue Israeli flags gathered yesterday in New York City, chanting ‘bring them home’ after more than 240 Israelis were kidnapped by Hamas.

Health officials in Gaza said today that the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since October 7 is 10,328, a grim milestone that includes thousands of children children.

At least 25,408 have been wounded, the Hamas-run ministry added yesterday. More than 2,300 people are missing, thought by officials to be buried under the rubble of bombed buildings.

Israel’s death toll over the same period remains at around 1,400, with at least 5,431 injured, according to Israeli authorities.

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He was had been in a ‘physical altercation with counter-protestor(s)’, the authorities said.