Three Palestinian men were shot and wounded near the university campus in Vermont in the United States, reports American media.
The incident took place on Saturday evening near the University of Vermont campus. As per the initial report, the cause of the attack on the men has not been identified yet.
The three injured Palestinian men were identified as Hisham Awartani, Kinnen Abdel Hamid, and Tehseen Hamid. All three of them are studying at three different universities.
“[We] are deeply distressed by the recent incident involving three of our graduates,” the Ramallah Friends School in the occupied West Bank, where the three studied, said in a statement on Facebook.
“While we are relieved to know they are alive, we remain uncertain about their condition. We extend our thoughts and prayers to them and their families for a full recovery, especially considering the severity of the injuries – as Hisham has been shot in the back, Tahseen in the chest, and Kinnan with minor injuries.”
Police are unable to give the exact reason for the attack but they believe it was triggered by the men speaking in Arabic and wearing a symbolic, traditional Palestinian scarf, Keffiyeh.
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According to the information provided, the three victims were wearing a keffiyeh and speaking Arabic. A man shouted and harassed the victims, then proceeded to shoot them,” the group said in a statement.
“Given the information collected and provided, it is clear that hate was a motivating factor in this shooting,” said ADC’s Director Abed Ayoub.
“We call on law enforcement to investigate it as such. The surge in anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiment we are experiencing is unprecedented, and this is another example of that hate turning violent.”
Families have urged the authorities to take action against the culprit.“We need to ensure that our children are protected and that this heinous crime is not repeated. No family should ever have to endure this pain and agony,” said the families in the joint statement.
Hate crimes against Palestinians and Muslims have increased since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on October 7th. 2023. Earlier, a 6-year-old kid was stabbed to death by his landlord in a hate crime.