The Flag of Palestine is waved during a candlelight vigil organized by NYU students in support of Palestinians in Washington Square Park in New York City on October 17, 2023, amid ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Thousands have been killed on both sides since Hamas's deadly October 7 strike on Israel, with retaliatory air strikes and a siege of Gaza having a devastating impact on ordinary Palestinians. Relief convoys which have been waiting for days in Egypt were on October 17 headed towards the Rafah border crossing with the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza, aid officials said.
In Illinois, a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy stabbed to death in a suspected hate crime, uttered his final words to his mother.
The family gathered and mourned at the Mosque Foundation on Monday for Wadea al Fayoume's funeral.
Six-Year-Old Palestinian-American Boy Says Goodbye Before Death
According to Sky News, the boy and Shahin, his mother, were attacked and stabbed by their landlord on Saturday in Plainfield Township, Will County. The boy was stabbed 26 times, while his mother received multiple wounds.
Shahin was admitted to the hospital and could not attend her son's funeral, but is expected to survive. Mahmoud Yousef, Wadea's uncle, shared, "He's a very kind kid. He likes to jump up and down."
Yousef added that he received a text message from Wadea's mother, telling him that the boy said goodbye to her and said, "Mom, I'm fine."
After hearing the boy's last words to his mom, women and children in the basement at the Mosque cried. The people present at the funeral chanted "Free, Free Palestine," and two men waved Palestinian flags.
On Monday, Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, commented on Wadea's death and said it was a heavy day and a nightmare for Muslim communities.
"It pains me that the sacrificial lamb to this atmosphere was this beautiful young six-year-old boy," he said.
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Suspect Appeared in Court
Joseph Czuba, landlord of the Fayoume family, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of hate crime, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Czuba appeared at Will County Court hours before the funeral.
CAIR confirmed that there was no conflict between the family of Czuba and the family before the stabbing incident. Oday al Fayoume, the boy's father, said that Czuba has a good relationship with the family. The landlord even made a tree house for the boy outside their rented home.
Oday received text messages from the boy's mother. The boy's mother described the attack and identified the suspect. She said he knocked on the door and attempted to choke her.
The landlord said, "You Muslims must die," and stabbed her. According to BBC News, the US Department of Justice opened a hate crimes investigation.
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