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Germany Agrees to Pay $28M to Families of 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre Victims


A stone cutter renovates a memorial stone for the 11 Israeli athletes killed by Palestinian militants during the 1972 Olympic Games, at the site of the hostage-taking at the former Olympic Village in Munich, Germany, Aug. 18, 2022.
A stone cutter renovates a memorial stone for the 11 Israeli athletes killed by Palestinian militants during the 1972 Olympic Games, at the site of the hostage-taking at the former Olympic Village in Munich, Germany, Aug. 18, 2022.

Germany and the families of Israeli athletes murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics have agreed on a compensation offer totaling $28 million, according to an interior ministry spokesperson on Friday.

Last month, the families had said they were unhappy with the latest German compensation offers and that they planned to boycott a ceremony on Monday in Munich marking the 50th anniversary of the attack in protest.

The federal government will contribute $22.5 million, while $5 million will come from the state of Bavaria, and $500,000 will come from Munich, said the spokesperson.

On September 5, 1972, members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage at the poorly secured athletes' village by Palestinian gunmen from the radical Black September group.

Within 24 hours, 11 Israelis, five Palestinians and a German policeman were dead after a standoff and subsequent rescue effort erupted into gunfire.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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