Secy of State #Blinken returned to #Israel Mon. Blinken met Israeli PM #Netanyahu & Pres #Herzog in #Jerusalem; he heads to #TelAviv next to meet w/ the #war cabinet ahead of their military offensive against #Hamas. Blinken’s 2nd visit in just a few days, comes after Pres #Biden warned that a new Israeli #occupation of #Gaza would be a “big mistake” — his firmest effort to signal restraint to Israel as the #HumanitarianCrisis in Gaza reaches critical.
When #Shahin emerged from the bathroom after calling police…, she found #Czuba attacking her 6-year-old son, #WadeaAlfayoumi, who later died of his wounds. He had been stabbed 26 times, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said in a stmnt. Shahin, 32, was stabbed at least a dozen times & remains hospitalized in serious condition, the family said.
#Czuba was charged w/one count each of first degree #murder, attempted murder & aggravated #battery, and two counts related to #HateCrimes, acc/to the sheriff’s office.
“Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being #Muslims & the on-going #MiddleEastern conflict involving #Hamas & #Israel,” the statement said.
In the past few days, #Jewish & #Muslim advocacy groups have documented vandalism or bomb threats at #synagogues & #mosques, along w/hateful messages & swastikas scrawled in their communities. Arab & Muslim rights groups say they have fielded calls from people reporting that they have been fired or silenced for expressing pro-#Palestinian views.
#Illinois Gov. J.B. #Pritzker (D) issued a statement calling the taking of a child’s life in the name of #bigotry “nothing short of evil.”
“Wadea should be heading to school in the morning,” Pritzker’s statement said. “Instead, his parents will wake up without their son. This wasn’t just a murder — it was a hate crime.”
#Shahin also told police she had been texting Czuba's wife about her husband's "hatred for Muslims." Last Wed, Oct 11, Czuba said he wanted Shahin & her son to "move out of the home," Mary #Czuba told investigators. Shahin told deputies that on that same day, Czuba "confronted her about what was going on in the #MiddleEast."