A group of Israelis from communities near the Gaza border were brutally attacked last Motzaei Shabbos in the coastal city of Budva, Montenegro, in what they describe as an antisemitic assault after identifying themselves as Israelis.

The incident was first reported by Kan News.

One of the victims recounted that he and his friends were sitting along the beachfront promenade when four strangers approached them and asked in English where they were from.

“We said Israel. They attacked us, shouting ‘Free Palestine.’ We didn’t respond, and they left. Then they came back with another 10 to 15 young men.”

“They started cursing and threatening us,” he said. “We didn’t respond. They put out a cigarette on one of us, kicked us, threw chairs at us, and punched us. We started running and split up. Some of our friends were knocked to the ground and kicked. We somehow managed to escape.”

The victim said three members of the group became separated during the attack. One suffered a broken jaw and underwent surgery, another sustained serious head injuries, and a third lost consciousness after being beaten.

According to the victims, local police witnessed the aftermath but failed to intervene.

“We were all bleeding, and the police told us, ‘You’re making too much noise for the neighbors,’ and walked away,” one victim said. “We ran to the local Chabad House, and from there we took one of the injured to the hospital. The embassy arranged earlier flights home. One of the Israelis is still hospitalized after surgery.”

“We felt like it was the Holocaust,” he added. “We were beaten and lynched. We were afraid they were going to murder us, and we never fought back.”

Another victim described a similarly violent assault.

“They started throwing punches without mercy. They threw chairs and tables at us. One of our friends passed out, and they started kicking and punching him. We realized we couldn’t fight them, so everyone ran in a different direction. They kept chasing us. Some people they caught, they continued beating. One of them had his jaw broken.”

He said the group sought help from nearby police officers.

“We told them, ‘Listen, we’re Israelis. We were brutally beaten.’ We were covered in blood with swollen heads. They simply told us, ‘Be quiet, you’re disturbing the neighbors,’ and walked away. They didn’t even acknowledge us.”

The victim stressed that the group had not displayed any outward signs of being Jewish or Israeli.

“We weren’t wearing kippahs or anything like that. They attacked us solely because we said we were from Israel. We never imagined it could reach this point. Everyone else we met was friendly when we said we were from Israel. Only this group of young men apparently hated Israelis. The Israeli embassy told us not to engage with anyone there and to return home. We realized the local authorities simply don’t care about incidents like this.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)