Alleged Western Wall vandal accused of painting 'holocaust in Gaza' on Holy Sepulchre

Police reportedly find graffiti on Old City church weeks after same man, apparently mentally ill, was released to psychiatric care after allegedly daubing identical slogans on Jewish sites

A man accused of vandalizing the Western Wall and a Jerusalem synagogue with graffiti decrying a “holocaust in Gaza” earlier this month was arrested overnight on suspicion of spray painting the same slogan on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The man, who has not been named but is reported to suffer severe mental health issues, was caught near the Old City holy site with a can of spray paint in his possession, according to Hebrew media reports citing police.

Cops who searched the church grounds later found graffiti reading “there is a holocaust in Gaza” in Hebrew, according to a police statement carried by several outlets.

Police said officers monitoring the Old City via closed circuit cameras had spotted the suspect near the church after being alerted to a suspicious figure wandering near an entrance to the Old City.

The church, located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City, is revered by Christians as the site of Jesus’ burial, attracting tens of thousands of pilgrims annually.

A spokesperson for the Latin Patriarchate told The Times of Israel it was not aware of the case.

Catholic pilgrims and clergymen participate in the Easter Sunday Mass led by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old City, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP/Mahmoud Illean)

The body, which represents the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, is one of several Christian denominations that share control of the site, considered among Christianity’s holiest shrines.

There was no immediate comment from other groups connected with the Holy Sepulchre.

The suspect was expected to be arraigned later Tuesday, with police reportedly set to request he be held in custody.

Greek Orthodox clergy take part in the Washing of the Feet ceremony during the orthodox Holy Week at the Church of Holy Sepulcher, where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Thursday, April 29, 2021. (AP/Maya Alleruzzo)

The reported incident came two weeks after graffiti reading “There is a holocaust in Gaza” and “Children are dying of hunger” were found spray painted on the Western Wall and Jerusalem’s Great Synagogue, located outside the Old City, allegedly by the same suspect.

Police arrested a 27-year-old resident of Jerusalem in the wake of the vandalism, which had elicited shock and outrage from Israeli politicians when it was discovered on the morning of August 11. Reports identified the man as a member of the ultra-Orthodox community.

At a hearing following the arrest, a Magistrate’s Court judge ordered the suspect be hospitalized in a psychiatric ward, rejecting a police request to keep him behind bars until a future hearing.

It was unclear when the man was released or whether he had been formally charged.

Graffiti reading ‘There is a Holocaust in Gaza’ seen spray painted on Jerusalem’s Western Wall on August 11, 2025. (Conservation Division/Israel Antiquities Authority)

According to the Ynet news site, the man’s family had reached out to Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef following the vandalism, telling him that their son suffered from mental health difficulties and had been hospitalized in the past.

The outlet reported at the time that the suspect had previously been questioned and released after he sprayed graffiti on a picture of a fallen IDF soldier in Tel Aviv.

“My son is in a severe psychiatric state and normally would not do something like this,” the father of the man told Ynet earlier this month. “He is a good and kind person, and we love him at home. I completely condemn his actions; it is a shame and a disgrace.”

Rossella Tercatin contributed to this report.