A six-year-old Muslim boy has been killed after being stabbed 26 times over his religion and in response to the Israel-Hamas war, American authorities have said.

His mother, Hanaan Shahin, 32, was also injured in the attack but is expected to survive as a 71-year-old man, Joseph Czuba, of Illinois, was charged with first degree murder and two counts of hate crime.

Joe Biden said the family is Palestinian Muslim and they "came to America seeking what we all seek - a refuge to live, learn, and pray in peace".

Read more: Gaza 'running out of life': UN warns food and water 'in scarce supply' as Israel vows 'fateful' hour looms for Hamas 

"This horrific act of hate has no place in America," the president added.

Will County Sheriff's office said: "Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the on-going Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israeli."

Police said they concluded he was motivated in response to the war, which has killed more than 2,000 across Israel and Palestine, after gathering evidence and carrying out interviews.

They found Czuba sitting on the ground outside the home with a cut to his forehead while the victims were discovered in a bedroom.

He is also charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and is awaiting a court appearance.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations identified the boy and his mother and called for politicians, the media and social platforms to stop the spread of "Islamophobic rhetoric and anti-Palestinian racism".

Read more: London pro-Palestine march turns ugly as protesters clash with police, setting off flares and fireworks, as 15 arrested

There are fears about community tensions rising as the war rages on.

In London, thousands marched in a demonstration for Palestine as police arrested 15 people on Saturday.

During that protest, a man carrying a Union flag was arrested after being accused of hurling racist abuse.

There has also been a huge spike in antisemitic incidents in the capital.

Police said last week that in the two weeks from September 30 - which includes Hamas's October 7 massacre - antisemitic incidents rose by 650% compared to the same period a year earlier. By Will Taylor, LBC

Featured images: Getty/Photo Courtesy 

Palestinians scrambled to flee northern Gaza on Saturday after Israel ordered nearly half the population to flee south and carried out limited ground forays ahead of an expected land invasion.

Israel has ordered more than a million people to flee, including the entire population of Gaza City, despite warnings from the UN and aid groups that such an exodus would cause untold human suffering, with hospital patients and others unable to relocate.

Families in cars, trucks and donkey carts packed with their possessions crowded a main road heading southward from Gaza City as Israeli airstrikes continued to hammer the besieged territory. 

Hamas's media office said warplanes struck cars fleeing south, killing more than 70 people. Israel's week-long campaign of bombing in Gaza has so far killed over 2,200 people in the besieged strip.

The Israeli military said its troops conducted temporary raids into Gaza to battle militants and hunted for traces of some 150 people – including men, women and children – abducted in Hamas's surprise 7 October attack that killed more than 1,300 people in Israel.

In urging the evacuation, Israel's military said it planned to target underground Hamas hideouts around Gaza City.

But Palestinians and some Egyptian officials fear that Israel ultimately aims to push Gaza's people out through the southern border with Egypt. The New Arab Staff 

October 13, 2023 (JUBA) – South Sudan President Salva Kiir and the Norwegian Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Jon Anton Johnson on Thursday discussed the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

During the meeting, Kiir said his government was committed to supporting dialogue, describing as the best way to end the conflict which has caused destruction and displacements in a country already facing economic hardships.

Anton said they discussed the challenges facing South Sudan and its sub-regions.

“The president also provided an elaborate and comprehensive briefing on the current situation in Sudan, especially his effort through IGAD and other initiatives to ensure there is a cessation of hostilities in Sudan.  He had also spoken about the humanitarian situation as a result of the military activities in the Sudan and the impacts on the region”, he told the state-owned television (SSBC).

The meeting also discussed the crisis in Sudan and regional matters of concern.

Kiir assured the visiting envoy of the commitment of his administration to implement all provisions of the 2024 Peace Agreement and preparation being undertaken for the conduct of elections at the end of the transitional period.

The elections, according to the South Sudanese leader and members of his administration, will allow the country’s citizens to choose leaders of their choices.

South Sudan’s Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister James Pitia Morgan reiterated in a separate statement also broadcasted by the state-owned broadcasting corporation that the government would in the coming days establish the electoral institutions to prepare the country for the polls.

The meeting between President Kiir and Norway’s envoy is one of a series of meetings and engagements with foreign diplomats and heads of international organizations to provide them briefing about his efforts on the situation in Sudan.

The Troika countries, which comprises of the United States of America, Britain, Norway and some allied western countries, have condemned the widespread human rights violations, conflict-related sexual violence and targeted ethnic violence in Darfur, mostly attributed to soldiers of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias.

They reiterated calls for the rival factions to control their forces, ensure respect for human rights and hold accountable those responsible for attacks against civilians.

The Troika further expressed deep concern that increased fighting in Darfur, Kordofan, Blue Nile, and other periphery areas risked further broadening the conflict and urged leaders of armed movements inside Sudan to stay out of the fight and support peace and a negotiated end to the conflict.

They reiterated support for the Sudanese’ demands for freedom, peace and justice. - Sudan Tribune

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