The suspect in the shooting deaths of two Israeli Embassy employees outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C., was charged today with first-degree murder and other crimes. He told police officers, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” when he was taken into custody, according to court documents. Here’s the latest.

The charges were announced hours after federal agents raided the Chicago home of the suspect, whom the police identified as Elias Rodriguez. A post on social media last night from an account that The Times verified as belonging to Rodriguez condemned the Israeli and American governments, as well as Israeli military actions against Palestinians. The F.B.I. director described the killings as targeted antisemitic attacks. Read the F.B.I. affidavit.

The victims were identified as Yaron Lischinsky, 30, who grew up in Israel and Germany, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, who was from Kansas. They were a couple, and Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. said that Lischinsky had purchased an engagement ring this week and planned to propose to Milgrim in Jerusalem. They had plans to fly there on Sunday. Here’s their story.

The shooting punctuated a moment of rising tension after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza. Around the world, offenses against Jewish people and property have doubled or even tripled.