Baruch Goldstein

Baruch Goldstein was an Israeli-American physician and extremist who, on February 25, 1994, perpetrated a massacre at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Goldstein, a member of the far-right Kach movement, opened fire with an automatic rifle on Palestinian worshippers engaged in prayer, killing 29 people and wounding over 125. The attack was motivated by Goldstein's extremist ideology and hatred towards Palestinians. Goldstein himself was subsequently killed by the crowd in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. The massacre had profound and lasting repercussions, intensifying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and leading to widespread condemnation internationally. In Israel, the event sparked debate about religious extremism and the actions of far-right groups. Goldstein's name remains a symbol of extreme violence and hatred in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.