Israeli tourist Stav Ben-Shoshan was enjoying a vacation break outside Athens with his wife when he was reportedly set upon by a group of anti-antisemitic, pro-Palestinian Syrian migrants.
In the melee that followed one of the assailants bit off part of his ear while making antisemitic and pro-Palestinian comments, multiple Israeli media reports detailed Saturday.
The Jerusalem Post reports Ben-Shoshan recounted to Israeli media how he was on the Bolivar Beach with his wife and another Israeli couple when an unknown man approached them and began videoing them while shouting, “Free Palestine, to hell with Israel, I am Hamas.”
Pushing, shoving and some sand throwing followed. Another incident quickly erupted, according to the Post:
Ben-Shoshan claimed that the man returned and tried to assault his wife, which is when he stepped in to protect her.
During the struggle to protect his wife, Ben-Shoshan said the man bit off part of his ear, which he is currently receiving medical attention for.
Sources at the Foreign Ministry told Ynet that “apparently, a group of immigrants recognized the Israelis and harassed them. When the Israeli went to the beach, one of the group attacked him and bit him, causing him a serious injury to his ear. The attacker is in custody. We are in contact with him and the authorities.”
Ben-Shoshan told YnetNews he never imagined his vacation would end this way.
“I still can’t comprehend how someone bites off another person’s body part. It’s monstrous,” he said. “My wife was traumatized. Seeing your husband’s ear on the ground is horrifying.”
The Times of Israel reports the alleged Athens beach attack came days after a group of Israeli teenagers were accosted by a group of anti-Israel assailants while vacationing on the popular Greek island of Rhodes.
The previous day, an Israeli-owned cruise ship was prevented from docking at the Greek island of Syros and was instead rerouted to Cyprus due to a large anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian protest taking place at the port.
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