Tourists locked selves in rooms; some sent farewell texts home

Israelis say they were attacked by anti-Israel mob who stormed their hotel in Crete

Tourists on Greek island say they were singing in Hebrew when assailants began shouting ‘F*ck Israel,’ ‘Free Palestine’ at them; one Israeli shot in head with air rifle

Israeli tourists said they were violently attacked near and inside their hotel on the Greek island of Crete early Sunday morning by assailants armed with sharp objects and rifles who shouted “Fuck Israel” and “Free Palestine,” leading them to fear for their lives.

The group of young Israelis was walking home from a party in the coastal town of Malia while singing in Hebrew at around 4 a.m., when the attackers began shouting the slogans at them, according to report by Israel’s National Center for Combating Antisemitism and channels 12 and 13.

“We yelled back at them, and there was an argument. We then got closer to the hotel, and suddenly we saw a bigger group arrive and that they had called more people over for backup,” Raz, 17, told Channel 12.

“They began to jump us and throw glass bottles. One of them got close to me and tried to break a bottle on my head, but luckily my friend stopped him,” he said.

The attackers pursued them into the hotel compound, armed with air rifles and sharp objects, where they began to search for Israeli and Jewish guests, the National Center statement said.

One Israeli suffered a head injury from being shot with an air gun, according to the statement.

The Israeli tourists locked themselves in their rooms, and “several youths reportedly sent distress and farewell messages to their families in Israel during the incident,” the statement read, adding that hotel staff tried to protect guests until police arrived.

“They had fire in their eyes,” Raz said. “There was only one guard at the entrance to the hotel, who couldn’t deal with them, and they just entered the hotel grounds and started looking for us, knocking on the rooms. There were other guys outside who threw glass bottles and fired air guns.”

Raz said it took a long time before authorities arrived to disperse the assailants.

“In the morning I purchased new flights and returned to Israel immediately. I didn’t want to stay there. We were supposed to return in another two days, but after what happened, I personally did not want to and couldn’t stay in that place,” he said.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry and embassy “coordinated with local authorities during the incident,” the National Center said.

The incident is under investigation. While locals claimed the violence was the result of a clash with drunk local youths, the Israeli tourists said it was a targeted antisemitic attack, according to the center.

The past year has seen a spate of anti-Israel incidents in Greece, which is one of the most popular destinations for Israeli tourists during the summer months.

Last year, Israeli cruise ships were met with crowds of protesters, who in one case prevented a ship from docking in an incident that the Greek government condemned. Multiple Israelis have said they were harassed or assaulted after speaking Hebrew in public places.