Man Sentenced to 53 Years in Prison for Murdering Palestinian-American Child
DayofPal- A U.S. court has sentenced 73-year-old Joseph Czuba to 53 years in prison after he brutally murdered a six-year-old Palestinian-American child Wadee Alfayoumi and attempted to kill his mother.
Just weeks after Israel commenced its genocide in Gaza in 2023, Wadee was stabbed 26 times in a hate-fueled attack inside his family's rented home in Plainfield, Illinois, and his mother was also stabbed over a dozen times.
The child was killed immediately but his mother survived.
In the court, Wadee's mother gave a harrowing testimony describing how Czuba, their landlord, forced his way into their home. She also spoke of the pain, the screams, and the horror of watching her son die in front of her eyes.
On the day of the attack, he brought a knife, attacked the mother, and then turned it on little Wadee.
The court found Czuba guilty of first-degree murder and hate crimes. He had targeted the family simply because they were Muslim and Palestinian. He didn't speak in court or apologize for the crime. The jury took less than 90 minutes to convict him.
Prosecutors revealed that Czuba had become angry and hateful after watching mainstream media news about the genocide in Gaza. His former wife told the court he grew consumed by rage.
'If it wasn't enough that this defendant killed that little boy,' said the prosecutor, 'he left the knife in his body.'
Photos from the crime scene shocked the courtroom. Police found Czuba outside the house, his body and hands drenched in blood.
The murder sent shockwaves through the Palestinian-American community and beyond, expressing that it was a hate crime, a terrifying reminder of rising Islamophobia and anti-Palestine sentiment in the U.S. due to Israel's incitement during the war.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=62612
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Days of Palestine
2 days ago
- Days of Palestine
A concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life': UN accuses Israel of war crimes in Gaza
DaysofPal – Israel has systematically destroyed Gaza's education system and more than half of its religious and cultural sites as part of what UN investigators describe as a 'relentless assault' on Palestinian life, according to a damning new report released today by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel. The commission's chair, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, warned that the evidence points to a 'concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life in Gaza.' 'Israel's targeting of the educational, cultural, and religious life of the Palestinian people will harm the present generations and generations to come, hindering their right to self-determination,' said Pillay. The report details the extensive destruction of Gaza's civilian infrastructure since October 2023, concluding that Israeli forces have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the crime of extermination. Among the most severe findings is the deliberate targeting and destruction of the vast majority of Gaza's educational institutions. Over 90 percent of school and university buildings have been damaged or destroyed, and more than 658,000 children have been deprived of education for nearly 20 months. The commission found that Israeli forces used airstrikes, shelling, burning, and controlled demolitions against these facilities. In several documented cases, Israeli soldiers filmed themselves mocking Palestinian education before destroying schools and universities. 'Such acts,' the report states, 'indicate an intent to destroy these facilities to curtail Palestinians' access to education in the long term.' The targeting of civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites was deemed to constitute extermination, a crime against humanity under international law. The report also revealed that Israeli forces repurposed educational facilities for military use, including transforming part of the Al-Azhar University's Al-Mughraqa campus into a synagogue for troops. While the commission documented one instance of Hamas using a school for military purposes, it emphasized that Israeli violations were systematic and on a far larger scale. On the destruction of Gaza's heritage, the commission found that more than half of all religious and cultural sites were damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks. These included prominent mosques, churches, and historic landmarks. 'All ten religious and cultural sites investigated by the Commission constituted civilian objects at the time of attack,' the report stated, noting that no legitimate military need justified their targeting. 'Attacks on cultural and religious sites have deeply impacted intangible culture, such as religious and cultural practices, memories, and history,' said Pillay. 'The targeting and destruction of heritage sites… erode Palestinians' historical ties to the land and weaken their collective identity.' The report also condemned Israeli conduct in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, where increased military operations, settler violence, and restrictions on worship have severely undermined Palestinian educational and religious life. Israeli authorities have also harassed or dismissed Palestinian and Israeli educators who expressed solidarity with Gaza. In its recommendations, the commission urged Israel to end all attacks on educational, religious, and cultural institutions, immediately halt settlement activities, and comply fully with the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice. The commission also called on Palestinian authorities, including those in Gaza, to protect heritage sites and cease any military use of civilian infrastructure. Shortlink for this post:
Days of Palestine
2 days ago
- Days of Palestine
British Company Sent 1,000 Ammunition Containers to Israel Amid Gaza Genocide, Leaked Documents Reveal
DaysofPal – Recently uncovered documents reveal that Pyramex Industries, a UK-based company headquartered in Durham, exported more than 1,000 ammunition containers to Israeli arms giant Elbit Systems since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023—raising urgent questions about Britain's arms export oversight amid allegations of genocide. Investigations by Declassified UK and The Dutch News show that at least 16 separate shipments—totaling over 135 tons of ammunition storage containers—were sent via the Israeli port of Ashdod, using vessels operated by the controversial ZIM shipping company. Notably, 360 of those containers were delivered in April 2025, coinciding with Israel's intensified aerial bombardment, siege policies, and starvation tactics in Gaza. In December 2023, just two months into the war, another 160 containers were shipped directly to Elbit's advanced technology center in Haifa. According to its website, Pyramex manufactures a broad range of ammunition containers designed for shotgun shells, artillery, and mortar rounds — including 155mm shells, which are among the key munitions used by Israeli occupation forces during the Gaza campaign. Most of the shipments were destined for Elbit's Ramat HaSharon facility near Tel Aviv — a critical hub for the production of Israeli ground weapons and drone technologies. Elbit Systems supplies up to 85% of the Israeli military's land-based equipment and maintains multiple manufacturing sites within the United Kingdom. Joe Glenton, a former British soldier and campaigner with Forces Watch, told Declassified: 'Despite the UK government's apparent rhetorical shift regarding Israel's war on Gaza, British companies are still fueling the machinery of genocide. Empty words mean nothing unless they are matched by an immediate and total arms export ban — enforced with real legal consequences.' The revelations come amid intensifying scrutiny over the UK's role in supplying materials used in alleged war crimes against Palestinian civilians. The fact that shipments continued during the entirety of the 20-month war — despite mounting international outrage over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza — adds to concerns over British complicity. The UK Department for Business and Trade responded to the revelations by stating that it operates a 'robust licensing regime for controlled goods,' adding that it had suspended export licenses for materials potentially usable in Gaza operations — except for components linked to the F-35 fighter jet program. Human rights advocates and legal experts argue that this exception undermines the supposed ban and reinforces Britain's indirect support for Israel's deadly campaign, despite widespread calls for full arms divestment and accountability. Shortlink for this post:
Days of Palestine
3 days ago
- Days of Palestine
Albanese Urges UK to Act Swiftly for Release of 'Madleen' Ship Seized by Israel
DaysofPal — Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, has called on the British government to take immediate diplomatic action to secure the release of the humanitarian ship Madleen and its crew, after it was seized by Israeli occupation forces in international waters. In an official statement today, Albanese stressed that the Madleen posed 'no threat whatsoever to Israel's security,' underscoring that 'Israel has no legal authority to intercept a civilian vessel in international waters.' She demanded a formal explanation from Israeli authorities and urged the UK to intervene decisively to ensure the ship and its passengers—who were on a legitimate humanitarian mission to Gaza—are released without delay. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organized the voyage, confirmed earlier today that Israeli naval forces had intercepted and boarded the ship en route to Gaza, detaining all activists onboard. Multiple Israeli navy vessels surrounded the Madleen, severing communications and taking control of the vessel in what witnesses described as a highly aggressive operation. Footage from the scene showed alarms sounding on the ship, with passengers donning life jackets in anticipation of an assault. The vessel was reportedly towed to Ashdod Port under military escort. According to Israeli Army Radio, the elite Shayetet 13 naval commando unit executed the operation, and all passengers are now in custody, with identity verification and interrogations underway at a naval base. The ship's activists had previously issued an appeal to the international community, urging immediate intervention to prevent the illegal seizure of humanitarian aid. They emphasized that blocking aid to the besieged Gaza Strip amid an escalating humanitarian crisis is a flagrant violation of international law. The incident has drawn renewed scrutiny over the legal and ethical legitimacy of Israel's ongoing naval blockade of Gaza, particularly in the context of the current war, which has seen unprecedented civilian casualties and widespread destruction. Albanese's urgent appeal follows growing international concern over Israel's actions in Gaza and the treatment of humanitarian actors attempting to break the blockade. Human rights groups have reiterated that the forcible seizure of civilian vessels in international waters, particularly those on humanitarian missions, constitutes a breach of maritime law and the Geneva Conventions. Shortlink for this post:
