Two Israeli embassy workers have been shot dead in a brazen attack outside a Jewish museum in the heart of Washington DC.

Gunfire erupted just after 9pm on Wednesday night (local time), as crowds gathered at the Capital Jewish Museum — just steps from FBI headquarters and DC police.

The two victims, a man and a woman, were leaving an event when the suspect allegedly approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said.

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They are believed to be a couple and employees of the Israeli embassy.

Their identities have not yet been made public.

The suspect was identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, of Chicago, reports CNN.

Police said the suspect was seen pacing outside the museum before the shooting, walked into the museum after the shooting and was detained by event security.

The man began chanting “free, free Palestine” when he was taken into custody, Smith said.

A large law enforcement presence remains at the scene as investigations continue.

The motive is still unknown, but Israeli officials are already calling it a targeted act of anti-Semitic terror.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the deaths in a late-night post on X, calling the attack “senseless” and promising justice.

Please pray for the families of the victims. We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice,” she wrote.

“We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share — please pray for the families,” she wrote.

“We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.”

Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, didn’t hold back — slamming the murders as “a depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism” and warning that more embassy staff were also injured.

“Harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line,” Danon said. “We expect the US to act swiftly and forcefully.”

A major police and FBI operation has locked down the area, with armed officers and investigators flooding the scene.

US Attorney-General Pam Bondi was also spotted nearby, telling reporters she was “praying for the victims.”

The shooting comes as global criticism intensifies over the Israeli government’s conduct in Gaza, where over 53,000 Palestinians — many of them women and children — have been killed since Israel began its offensive following the October 7 Hamas attacks.

Civilian infrastructure has been decimated, and a catastrophic famine is already taking hold, with aid agencies warning that Gaza is on the brink of mass starvation and the UN alerting that thousands of infants could die within days if critical aid remains obstructed.

Despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent announcement to lift the siege on Gaza, the United Nations reports that Israel continues to block essential aid.

As of Tuesday, only five aid trucks entered Gaza, with distribution still restricted.

Pre-war, Gaza received five times more aid daily, and the current flow is insufficient to address the dire hunger crisis.

The shooting in Washington, D.C., underscores the global ramifications of the conflict and the urgent need for a resolution to the humanitarian crisis in the region.

The FBI is leading the investigation, and more details are expected to emerge in the coming hours as they work with local law enforcement.