WASHINGTON: In a harrowing incident, a Muslim woman and her six-year-old son, believed to be Palestinian-American, were brutally stabbed multiple times in an attack linked to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The child tragically succumbed to his injuries after being stabbed 26 times, while the 32-year-old woman, likely his mother, is expected to survive the horrific assault. The attacker, a 71-year-old landlord named Joseph Czuba, was charged with murder, attempted murder, and two counts of hate crimes.
This savage act was closely linked to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as revealed by the Will County sheriff’s office in Illinois. The victims were deliberately targeted due to their Muslim identity amid the escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The woman bravely managed to call 911 during the attack. Upon arriving at the scene, authorities found both victims in a bedroom with multiple stab wounds to their chest, torso, and upper extremities. Shockingly, a serrated military-style knife with a seven-inch blade was recovered from the boy’s abdomen during the autopsy.
Ahmed Rehab, head of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Chicago office, provided further insights into the horrific attack. Czuba had reportedly knocked on the door, attempted to choke the woman, and spewed hate-filled words, stating, “You Muslims must die.”
Biden Condemns Incident
In light of this appalling incident, US President Joe Biden condemned the killing of the boy as a “horrific act of hate.”
The attack underscores the tragic consequences of hate-fueled violence amidst the escalating tensions and violence in the Middle East. It emphasizes the urgent need for unity and understanding to combat bigotry and hate, particularly in the context of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Israel declared war on Hamas last Sunday, a day after waves of Hamas fighters broke through the heavily fortified border and shot, stabbed and burned to death more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians. The subsequent relentless bombing has flattened neighbourhoods and left at least 2,670 people dead in the Gaza Strip, the majority ordinary Palestinians.