On Judaism’s holiest day, vandals spray-painted “Viva Palestine” and a PA flag on an Ashdod sports hall, sparking outrage.
In a shocking act of hate, anti-Israel vandals desecrated the holy atmosphere of Yom Kippur by spray-painting the slogan “Viva Palestine” alongside a Palestinian Authority flag on the outer wall of a sports hall in Ashdod’s Tet neighborhood.
The graffiti, discovered by stunned residents walking home after the fast, covered a large section of the building’s wall and left the community outraged. The timing—on Yom Kippur, the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar—added deep insult, turning a day of prayer, reflection, and atonement into one marred by an anti-Semitic provocation.
Municipal officials immediately condemned the act. The Ashdod Municipality announced the graffiti will be removed without delay and that footage from the city’s “Roeh” surveillance network is under review to track down the perpetrators. While it remains unclear whether the incident was a politically driven attack or reckless vandalism by local youths, residents stressed that the message was clear: an attack not only on property, but on Jewish identity itself.
As Israel continues to face external threats from Hamas and its supporters abroad, this brazen act at home illustrates how the campaign to delegitimize the Jewish state seeks to infiltrate Israeli society at every level. For many in Ashdod, the desecration on Yom Kippur was not just vandalism—it was a symbolic strike at the heart of the Jewish people.
