Anti-Israel demonstrators rally amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, outside the White House in Washington, US, Nov. 4, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

An elderly Jewish man has died after an altercation with an anti-Israel protester at a rally in California, according to local law enforcement and Jewish groups.

Paul Kessler, 69, on Monday succumbed to injuries sustained the prior afternoon at dueling demonstrations held over the Israel-Hamas war in Thousand Oaks, a suburb of Los Angeles, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, which is investigating the incident.

The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office said an autopsy determined Kessler died as a result of a blunt force head injury and called the manner of death a homicide. Police said they have “not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime.”

As of this writing, no arrests have been made.

“Witness accounts indicated that Kessler was involved in a physical altercation with counter-protester(s),” the Sheriff’s Department said in a press release. “During the altercation, Kessler fell backwards and struck his head on the ground. Kessler was transported to an area hospital for advanced medical treatment.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles said that a “pro-Palestinian protester” struck Kessler in the head with a megaphone. The Los Angeles Times similarly reported that Kessler was struck in the head, knocked backward, and hit his head on the ground. However, police did not mention the victim being hit in the head.

Videos posted online show Kessler carrying an Israeli flag before he fell to the ground bleeding.

“He was not a closet Zionist – he wore it like a badge of honor,” a family friend of Kessler’s, Justin Cohen, told the New York Post. “He was a proud Jew and proud Israel supporter.”

Video of the aftermath of the assault has been circulated on social media. Viewer discretion advised: The video contains graphic content:

Content warning ⚠️ – an elderly Jewish man has been killed by a pro Palestinian protestor who hit him over the head with a megaphone at yesterday’s Israel rally.

Sadly, the victim has passed away from internal bleeding.

May his memory be a blessing and his attacker be… pic.twitter.com/41ZXNutwvK

— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) November 7, 2023

Monday’s death came amid a global surge in antisemitism, especially across the US and Europe, following Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel.

The incident has sparked both alarm and mourning in southern California’s Jewish community.

“While we wait for more information from our law enforcement partners, we remind you that this is the fourth major antisemitic crime committed in Los Angeles this year alone,” the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles said in a statement. “Violence against our people has no place in civilized society. We demand safety. We will not tolerate violence against our community. We will do everything in our power to prevent it.”

The president and chief executive of the federation lamented that Jews are now living in fear amid intense opposition to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ brutal invasion of the Jewish state.

“The fact of the matter is there is now a Jewish man who is dead,” Rabbi Noah Farkas told the New York Times. “And here we are again as a Jewish community, frightened, terrified to express ourselves, to be ourselves.”

Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff is set to hold a press conference at 10 am local time on Tuesday, when more information could be disclosed.