Three Palestinian students shot in US, suspect runs away 

WASHINGTON: Three Palestinian youths were shot and wounded in the USA. The incident happened in Burlington City. The assailant after shooting the three, who were walking on the street, ran away from the place. The victims have been identified as Hisham Awartani, a student at Brown University in Rhode Island, Kinnan Abdel Hamid, a student at Haverford College in Pennsylvania and Tahseen Ahmed, who attends Trinity College in Connecticut. The condition of one is stated to be serious.

Two of the youths have obtained American citizenship and the other is a legal resident. The man with a pistol shot the three on the street near the University of Vermont on Saturday evening and then ran away. He has not been caught yet. The Burlington police have not commented on the incident. There are indications that this may be a racial attack in the context of the Israel-Hamas war. The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee also blamed racism for the attack.

The victims were wearing a keffiyeh and Arabic-speaking. Meanwhile, Hamas released 34 hostages yesterday (26 Israelis, seven Thais and one of Russian origin) as a four-day temporary ceasefire in Gaza was to end today. 17 people each were released yesterday morning and night. Israel also released a total of 78 Palestinian prisoners.