On Wednesday, a 24-year-old Israeli studying at Columbia University was beaten. The victim suffered minor injuries, including a laceration to his hand.
He is a student at Columbia’s School of General Studies.
According to the university’s student newspaper, the Columbia Daily Spectator, the victim claimed he tried to stop a 19-year-old woman from tearing down leaflets with the names and pictures of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas. A man got into a heated argument with a woman over the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The argument escalated and the woman beat the 24-year-old man with a wooden stick.
The NYPD reported that the incident occurred in front of the Butler Library on the Columbia University campus. Suspect Maxwell Friedman was arrested and charged with assault.
“It’s because I’m Israeli these days. Not me because I’m myself. It’s because I’m an Israeli who’s under some kind of threat,” said an Israeli student after being beaten.
“We were all a little shocked that this could happen on our campus, which should be a haven. We don’t know how to handle the situation, let alone that our families and friends are going through their worst nightmare. We are in the same boat with them mentally. And now we have to deal with the situation that the campus is no longer a safe place for us,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces launched a major offensive against Hamas and its terror network in the Gaza Strip. In the ongoing operation, they are bombing and destroying weapons depots, financial centers, terrorist headquarters, and terrorist headquarters. The IDF has reportedly killed 1,200 Palestinians so far. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced from their homes in a hard-hitting military offensive. Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, Israel has also halted the supply of food, fuel, electricity, and medicine to Gaza.
Israel’s military operation comes after a terrorist attack by Hamas that killed innocent Israeli citizens including women and children. Terrorists beheaded babies, kidnapped and raped women, and took people hostage, unleashing an unprecedented phase of destruction and violence.
Image Source: The Times of Israel
