Greek health minister condemns Palestinians for saying terror victim was not innocent

Greek Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis condemned the Palestinian community in Greece on Friday on X/Twitter after it claimed that Ionas Karussis, who was murdered in the terrorist attack in Jaffa on Tuesday, "was not an innocent civilian" because he had served in the IDF.

Η ανακοίνωση της «Παλαιστινιακής Κοινότητας» για τον νεκρό Ιωνά εκτός από προφανώς αισχρή, αποτελεί και την απόδειξη του πραγματικού προβλήματος. Κατά τους Παλαιστινίους κανένας Εβραίος πολίτης δεν είναι αθώος άρα όλοι καλώς σκοτώνονται είτε από τρομοκράτες, είτε από ρουκέτες,… pic.twitter.com/CIPxQ25gwO

— Άδωνις Γεωργιάδης (@AdonisGeorgiadi) October 4, 2024

The Greek minister called the statement "disgusting" and said it "proves a real problem."

"According to the Palestinians, no Jewish citizen is innocent, and therefore, they are all rightly killed, whether by terrorists, rockets, or massacres like the one on October 7," he said.

"What was Ionas's "crime" that made him 'guilty?' He served in the Israeli army... But all Israeli citizens, both men and women, serve in the army, as this state is surrounded by millions of enemies who daily swear to wipe it off the map," he continued. 

He concluded, "This is why we stand with Israel - because Jews also have the right to a homeland where they can finally be safe."

Seven people were murdered, and dozens were wounded in a shooting attack at a light rail station in Jaffa on Tuesday evening. Hamas took responsibility for the attack on their Telegram channel the next day. 

Who was Ionas?

Ionas held both Greek and Israeli citizenship and spoke both languages fluently. He grew up in Israel and served in the army.

Despite not being Jewish, Ionas's father moved to Israel because of highly developed scientific research In Israel, and in addition said, "The influence of the Greek Spirit is evident in the people of Israel, even in their culture and religion."

Yuval Barnea contributed to this report.