Foreign Ministry officials on Monday said the Israeli consulate in Marseille is handling arrangements for the four victims of the Toulouse shooting to be returned home for burial.
"After the appalling murders in Toulouse, the Israeli Embassy in Paris, as well as the Israeli Consulate in Marseille,
have contacted the bereaved families and learned of their desire
to bring their loved ones to Israel for burial," a statement said.
"The
Government of Israel has therefore decided to transfer the coffins to
Israel as soon as possible, with the cooperation and assistance of
Israel's representatives in France and in coordination with the French
authorities," it continued.
It concluded, "The names of the
victims are: Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, Gabriel Sandler (age 4), Arieh
Sandler (age 5), Miriam Monsonego (age 7)."
Monday morning at or
around 08:00 hours a motorcycle-riding gunman gunned down the four Jews
outside the Otzar HaTorah day school.
The attack was the third
such attack in recent days, but the first to target France's Jewish
community. Previous attacks targeted French paratroopers in southern
France.
French prosecutors –
who decried Monday's attack as "savagery" – say it is too soon to
classify the murders as hate crimes or terrorism, adding they are
concerned the mass murders are the work of a "serial killer."
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed to aid French authorities in bringing the perpetrator to justice.
"I
promise that the Israeli government will aid the French government in
this task," Netanyahu said. "We would do it anyway, some of the victims
were also Israeli citizens."
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