Three Palestinian men shot in Vermont, US amid Israel-Hamas truce

Three young Palestinian men have been shot near a university campus in Vermont in the United States, according to media reports.

Occupied West Bank

Reports said the incident took place on Saturday evening near the University of Vermont’s campus in the city of Burlington.

The three were identified as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid and Tahseen Ahmed. They are studying at three different universities in the US.

According to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), two of the victims are in intensive care while one was due to be released on Sunday.

“[We] are deeply distressed by the recent incident involving three of our graduates,” the Ramallah Friends School in the occupied West Bank, where the three studied, said in a statement on Facebook.

“While we are relieved to know they are alive, we remain uncertain about their condition. We extend our thoughts and prayers to them and their families for a full recovery, especially considering the severity of the injuries – as Hisham has been shot in the back, Tahseen in the chest, and Kinnan with minor injuries.”

The motive behind the attack is unknown. When contacted by media, the Burlington police did not immediately respond to a request for further information.

The ADC said it was contacted about the shooting earlier on Sunday, and that it has “reason to believe [it] was motivated by the three victims being Arab”.