Two Israeli men remain hospitalized in New Orleans after terrorist attack
One of the victims is in critical condition with head trauma and internal injuries
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
A member of the FBI looks on near a bouquet of flowers tied to a fence, a block from Bourbon Street, after 14 people were killed during an attack early in the morning on January 1, 2025, in New Orleans, La.
Two Israeli men in their mid-20s remain hospitalized — one in critical condition — after a driver intentionally rammed a pickup truck into a crowd during New Year’s celebrations on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street, killing 14 and injuring at least 30 in Wednesday’s terror attack.
Both men were tourists from Israel, traveling through several American cities and expecting to end their jaunt in Florida, according to Elad Shoshan, consul of Israel to the Southwest United States. “They wanted to do New Year’s Eve in New Orleans,” Shoshan, who is currently visiting the men in a local hospital — and awaiting the Friday morning arrival of their family members — told Jewish Insider. “Obviously, it became a tragic situation,” he said.
The men remained on ventilators through Thursday night, according to Shoshan, who at the families’ request declined to provide names. “One is in a more severe situation with head trauma and also internal injuries. He’s considered to be critical. The other is communicative and has internal injuries but he is more stable,” Shoshan said, noting that “they have a long recovery and rehabilitation process in front of them.”
Under the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs direction, Shoshan said that early Wednesday morning, upon learning of the attack, he “checked if there are any Israelis in distress.”
“I immediately flew into Louisiana to go see them and to be with the Jewish community,” Shoshan, who is based in Houston, told JI. “Basically to be here so that once they are waking up and opening their eyes they can see a friendly face who speaks their language.”
The Jewish community in New Orleans is “wonderful, warm and supportive,” Shoshan said. “They’re doing everything to make the situation as comfortable as possible.”
The attacker, Shamsud Din Jabbar, was carrying an ISIS flag with him in his truck. Jabbar, an Army veteran, recently converted to Islam and began behaving erratically, according to an account by his ex-wife’s current husband, moving into a rented home in a Muslim neighborhood north of Houston. The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism.