The shooting of three Palestinian college students on Saturday in Burlington, Vermont, has sparked a “deeply alarming” outcry from the public amid increasing tensions across the United States over the Israel-Hamas war.
Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian attack on Israel in history on October 7. Israel in response subsequently launched its heaviest airstrikes against Gaza. As of Sunday, at least 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, the Associated Press reported, citing the Israeli government. More than 13,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, the AP said.
Since then, protests from both sides have been seen around the globe as tensions escalate in the U.S., with many calling for a lasting ceasefire amid the rising death toll in the conflict. In addition, authorities in the U.S. have been on high alert for violence driven by Islamophobic or antisemitic sentiment, with both Muslim and Jewish groups reporting a rise in hateful rhetoric.
The shooting of the three 20-year-old men happened when they were approached by a white man with a handgun while they were walking. The students were shot and injured near the University of Vermont, according to Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad on Sunday.
Two of the men were struck in their torsos while one was struck in his lower extremities. The students were transported to the University of Vermont Medical Center. The suspect is believed to have fled as an investigation is underway.
According to the AP, authorities have said the attack may have been a hate crime, adding that two of the men were wearing the black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves when the shooting occurred.
The three victims have been identified by family as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ahmed. Awartani is a student at Brown University, Abdalhamid is a student at Haverford College, and Ahmed is a student at Trinity College.
In a statement issued by the families through the Institute for Middle East Understanding on X, formerly Twitter, the families said they “are devastated by the horrific news that our children were targeted and shot.”
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
“At this time, our primary concern is their full recovery and that they receive the critical medical support they need to survive. We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our children. We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime. We will not be comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice. We need to ensure that our children are protected, and this heinous crime is not repeated,” the statement read.
In a press release, Murad said that “no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime,” adding that he has “been in touch with federal investigatory and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it’s proven.”
“The fact is that we don’t yet know as much as we want to right now. But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less,” Murad added.
Newsweek has reached out to Burlington Police Department via email for comment.
Since the shooting, many have taken to X to condemn the violent act, with political analyst Omar Baddar warning that this is a “deeply alarming time.”
“3 young guys of Palestinian descent have been shot in Burlington, Vermont. The shooter hasn’t been identified yet. This is a deeply alarming time in this country!” Baddar wrote.
Mohamad Safa, a human rights activist, wrote, “Three young Palestinian were shot in Burlington, USA. Their crime? Wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh. The hate crimes against Palestinians must stop. Palestinians everywhere need protection.”
Meanwhile, X user Basil Awartani posted, “My cousin @HishamAwartani, a Palestinian student at @BrownUniversity has been shot walking with his friends for simply wearing a keffiyeh and speaking Arabic. Dangerous and dehumanizing rhetoric regurgitated by US politicians and right wing pundits has consequences.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a nonprofit and grassroots civil rights and advocacy organization for Muslims, has also spoken out offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction of the person or people responsible for the shooting, the organization wrote in a statement on X.
Additionally, Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, denounced the attack and wrote on X, “It is shocking and deeply upsetting that three young Palestinians were shot here in Burlington, VT. Hate has no place here, or anywhere. I look forward to a full investigation. My thoughts are with them and their families.”
Meanwhile, the White House said that President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting and will continue to receive updates as law enforcement gathers more information.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.