the librarian -- i will read hisham awartani's who now goes to brown.lliant students, all of them. accomplished, top-notch, value-driven. i wanted to say, amy, before i read his poem, that is how selfless our students are. hisham awa wrote to his purposea brown come "it is important to recognize this is part of the larger story. a serious crime this to happen in a vacuum. as much as i appreciate and love every single one of you here today, i am but one casualty and a much wider conflict. this is why when you say your wishes and let your candles today, you should -- your mind should not just be focused on me as an individual but rather a proud member of a people being oppressed." these are his words since the shooting. when he was in sixth grade in 2015, he wrote, "hope dwells in my heart. it shines like a light in darkness. the light cannot be smothered. it cannot be drowned. -- john out by the screams of the wounded. it only grows in strength. this light can outshine hate. this light can outshine justice. it out shines apartheid. peder opened a box. wh

awartani was visiting his grandmother in vermont when this shooting happened. kaitlan, the burlington chief of police said he believes no one can look at this incident without thinking that this was a hate motivated crime. as for the fbi, they said they are aware of this incident, and they are prepared to investigate the shooting. >> yeah. just an awful story. thank you for keeping us updated. i know you'll continue to let us know what the updates are. we'll be back in just a moment with much more on the ground here in israel. >>> within just over 24 hours remaining until the pause in the fighting between israel and hamas is set to expire, president joe biden says his administration is pushing to extend the pause. >> this deal is structured so that it can be extended to keep building on these results. that's my goal. that's our goal, to keep this pause going beyond tomorrow so that we can continue to see more hostages come out and surge more humanitarian relief into those in need in gaza. >> the agreement as it stands is that for every ten hostages hamas releas

we understand that awartani's mother is still in ramallah right now and she's trying to leave the regiono make her way to the united states so that she can be with her 20-year-old son who we understand is in stable condition. we also understand according to the former palestinian minister of education who is in close contact with the families of these young men that awartani has a bullet lodged in his spine. it's unclear how he'll be able to recover out of all of this. a trauma incident here. the fbi in the region saying that they're aware of this. they're ready to step in and assist should we get to the point where this investigation leads us to believe that this is, in fact, a hate crime. but, look, we've heard from various palestinian and arab american civil rights groups in the united states who say they're confident that that's exactly what this was. in fact, you just had a conversation with an attorney representing the families that said this gunman did not exchange any words, walked up to them and opened fire. it will certainly be interesting to follow this investigation and the b

. >> reporter: the family says tahseen ali ahmed, hisham awartani and kinnan abdalhamid were out for walk, chatting in arabic and english. two of them were wearing keffiyehs, traditional arab scarves. according to the affidavit, abdalhamid told police a man in a hoodie walked toward them and pulled out a pistol and started firing without saying a word all three were shot. >> they're all stable. but hisham, the prognosis is that he -- it's very likely he won't be able to walk again. >> reporter: hisham's parents spoke with nbc news's erin mclaughlin today at their home in the west bank city of ramallah >> it was a vicious crime and it will change my son's life >> forever >> forever there's no reason that he should have been targeted in this way because it was a targeted crime without a doubt. >> reporter: authorities have not charged eaton with a hate crime but police say they are still investigating. >> i do want to be clear that there is no question this was a hateful act. >> reporter: it comes during a nationwide spike in both islamophobic and antisemitic incidents. >> all of us ha

awartani still has a bullet lodged in his spine. his family says though he has feeling in his legs, he's unable to move them at the moment. his uncle says he'd been hoping to go on an archeology dig this summer but that's now in question. the other two face physical and psychological struggles of their own. their families say they remain as resilient before the shooting. >> you see a future doctor, a future archeologist, three incredible young men. >> reporter: and as he continues to recover at this medical facility in burlington, awartani sharing a message with his fellow students at brown. he asked to be read at a vigil recently a portion of that, erin, i can read for you. it reads had i been shot in the west bank where i grew up the medical services that would save my life would likely be withheld by the israeli army. the soldier that shot me would go home and never be convicted. meanwhile, his mother i should say left rumallah trying to make her way eventually here by her son's side. >> thank you very much, paolo. >>> and next a

court records say awartani "sustained a lodged bullet in his spine," aliahmad was struck in the "upper and abdalhamid in his "right glute." today, attorney general merrick garland spoke about the shooting and the rise in threats from the israel-hamas war. >> all of us have also seen a sharp increase in the volume and frequency of threats against jewish, muslim, and arab communities across our country since october 7th. >> reporter: and tonight, david, authorities have gone through the suspect's social media and electronic devices, looking for anything that would allow them to charge the suspect as a hate crime. david? >> david: all right, aaron katersky tonight. aaron, thank you. >>> to the other news this monday night, and to the alarming moments onboard a southwest flight, preparing to take off from the new orleans airport, when authorities say a man opened the emergency exit over a wing and jumped. ground crews racing after him and taking him down, as passengers then fled the plane. here's victor oquendo. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: tonight, panicked passengers rushing off this sout

they identified these students as 20-year-olds tahseen ahmad, kinnan abdalhamid, and hisham awartani. all of them we're told graduated from a private school in the west bank before they came to the u.s. to attend various colleges here. now awartani's great uncle, who we're told is a former education minister pour the palestinian authority, he said that hisham was visiting his grandmother when this shooting took place. in fact, we're told that his mother right now is in the process of trying to come to the u.s. to see her son. again, police in burlington, vermont, are still trying to figure out a motive for this. they're looking at the possibility that this was a hate crime. here now is an attorney that is representing some of the family members that say the details surrounding this shooting really believes them to believe that this in fact was a hate crime. >> the suspect walked up to them and shot them. they weren't robbed. they weren't mugged. it was a targeted shooting and a targeted crime. and they were wearing the kkeffiyeh. it's a very well-known symbol. it's a very well-known c

and you can see hisham awartani. an attorney representing the families of these young families believe that this is a hate crime, local authorities say they're not quite ready to go there quite yet. >> the suspect walked up to them and shot them. they weren't robbed or mugged. it was a targeted shootinged and targeted crime and they were wearing the keffiyeh. their identify played a role in them being targeted. >> reporter: burlington's mayor speaking over the weekend saying that the just the mere possibility that this may have been a hate crime is chilling. and that's why local police are heading this investigation at this point with support from federal authorities are making that a priority, also the american jewish community quite vocal over the weekend not only condemning this attack but also urging authorities to investigate this as a hate crime. >> how are they doing, i know they're in the hospital being treated, do we know their condition this morning the three of them? >> reporter: yeah, they're this the hos

. >>> details so low college tunes in vermont mother of one of the students hisham awartani is now in u.s. has been reunited with and the hospital. she said it was painful seen her son incapacitated. also finding out how the attack unfolded last saturday. one of the victims say they saw a man standing in the port who came downcourt pulled a pistol and shot kinnan abdel hamid he said after he was shot he managed to knock neighbors door who called 9-1-1. kinnan abdel hamid was released from hospital early this week was to friends hisham awartani tahseen ahmed remain hospitalized more severe injuries. he said he's convinced that the attack was motivated by hate. suspect in the attack, jason jay eaton has been arrested and charged with three counts of attempted second degree murder. cnn's poll sanibel has. >> new details about the man who police say sean stepped off his parch saturday nine shot three palestinian students walking by. jason jay even pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted second degree murder. police say they found evidence that links the 40-year-old man to the shoo

something to share with you about hisham awartani who is the one that you see on the right in that grouphoto that was actually taken just moments before this shooting, his family actually sharing a photo with cnn showing him in his hospital bed. he appears to be in good spirits, however, his family also saying the doctors are right now trying to increase the blood flow to his spine. as we reported yesterday, another organization working with the families say that he likely has a bullet lodged in his spine. there is still a lot of concerns about what his recovery will be like. i can also tell you, john, that the family members or at least two of these three young men are trying to get here to burlington as they live in palestine. >> polo sandoval, keep us posted as to what you hear. we're expecting an update from police sometime at least as soon as this morning. >>> coming up for us, a pause in the fighting is giving people in gaza a chance to reach that new aid coming into the enclave. aid trucks making their way through. we have an update from there. >>> and missiles fired at a u.s. war

the mother of victim hish m awartani has a long road to recovery. >> he has another month in hospitaleral months of physical therapy. currently doctors say he lost function of mobility in his legs. >> reporter: relatives say men were visiting vermont over thanksgiving break where they were shot saturday night. >> the three decided to go around the block. they like to walk around the neighborhood when they're there. each of the other boys have been to my mother's house for thanksgiving twice. and hisham has been visiting burlington for ten years. he knows the community very, very well. >> they were just walking, talking amongst themselves. they were wearing their keffiyeh's, traditional palestinian scarves. this gentleman stepped out of the dark and pulled out a handgun and fired four times. >> reporter: investigators are trying to determine if they were the targets of a hate crime. >> there's no one with common sense who can think about three young men, two of whom are wearing keffiyeh's who were speaking a mixture of english and arabic, walking down a street to suddenly and randomly

. >> that was the mother of hisham awartani. her son was one of three students of palestinian descent shot on saturday in burlington, vermont in what local officials called a hateful act. they have been identified as keenan abdoll huh mimd, tahseen ahmed, and hisham awartani. all three young men remain hospitalized. police say a white man with a handgun shot them as they took a walk before dinner on saturday. the students told police that at the time, they were speaking a mixture of arabic and english. two of them wore keffiyehs, the traditional black and white scarf worn by many palestinians and their allies. today, the suspect in the shooting, 48-year-old jason eaton, pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder in the second degree. and nbc review of his social media profiles and websites appearing to belong to eaton found a youtube page featuring videos with titles like expose fauci, and covering topics like covid vaccines, government surveillance, and economics. vermont officials have not yet revealed a motive but

earlier today i spoke with hisham awartani's mother who had just arrived from her home in the west bankand with kinnan abdalhamid's mother who had just arrived from her home in jerusalem. thank you for joining us today. i would love to hear both how your sons are doing right now. how is kinnan? >> he is doing all right. he was discharged the day before yesterday. yesterday actually. i was able to speak to his er doctor by phone. the hospital has been amazing in giving us information. the bullet the defendant hit kinnan with grazed his right glute. it did not penetrate deeply. he was incredibly lucky. he is however in a lot of pain. the adrenaline of all of this has subsided so he is having trouble sleeping. i am very anxious to get to him because i have a feeling he's not just having trouble sleeping because of pain but because of trauma. i am quite concerned for him. otherwise he was incredibly lucky and he sits with a lot of concern for his friends that are still emma, hospital. -- still in the hospital. reporter: and what is the latest with hisham's situation? >> he has sensation in

the mother of hisham awartani joins us live next. bold. daring. expressive.ontra costa college allows me to be whoever and whatever i want to be, providing the stage, the canvas, the tools to use my voice and write my story. find your passion and create your future at contra costa college. start today at contracosta.edu >>> we have new reporting just in to cnn. hunter biden's lawyers told the house oversight committee he is willing to testify on december 13th in their inquiry into his actions, but only if he can do so publicly. cnn's kaitlan po lands joins us now. what is behind this offer? >> reporter: mine and evan perez's, we obtained a letter from hunter biden's lawyers to the house oversight committee, this committee that has been to go an inquiry that the biden family and any transactions they may have with foreign entities or foreign people, and now the president's son is willing to testify publicly, not behind closed doors. his lawyers say, you know, he got a subpoena, they are willing to respond to that subpoena, and they are willing to put him under

. >> reporter: junior hisham awartani was shot in the spine in vermont with two of his friends on saturdayall they were doing was speaking arabic, wearing a keffiyeh, being arab and clearly, that's not safe in many parts of this country anymore. >> reporter: the president of brown's arab society is so concerned about possible harassment, he asked us not to use his name does the war feel as far away as it is? >> it hasn't felt far away through the entirety of this >> reporter: like so many college campuses, the atmosphere at brown is incredibly tense. students are now launching a safe walking service for palestinian classmates, while jewish students are facing intense backlash on social media. how would you describe the atmosphere on campus >> it's pretty bad >> reporter: maya rackoff is jewish. she says she has been avoiding public spaces. >> by virtue of either just being a jew or an arab or a muslim or an israeli, there is a feeling that you're so hated by so many people, no matter what you do or say. >> reporter: ariella rosenzweig is one of 20 jewish students arrested during a pro-pale

hisham awartani, one of the three palestinian college students shot in a likely hate crime in burlington, vermont, has released a statement from the hospital. awartani, a brown university student, said -- "it's important to realize that this is part of the larger story. i am but one casualty in the much wider conflict. had i been shot in the west bank, where i grew up, the medical services that saved my life would likely have been withheld by the israeli army." on monday evening, brown students interrupted a talk by university president christine paxson at a vigil for the shot students, calling for the school to divest from weapons manufacturers, including northrop grumman, raytheon, and textron. at the ramallah friends school in the occupied west bank, which was attended by all three shooting victims, students and staff reflected on the tragic incident. this is leen alshehab, a senior at the school. >> we are horrified by the recent attack that targeted three of our beloved alumni. we call upon the international communities to conduct a full and thorough investigation on this attack and

university authorities of their support for the israeli regime. the victims are identified as saam awartanihamid all under 20. they remain under medical care after sustaying ones. the perpetrator identified as jason j. eden has plated not guilty to charges of second degree murder a criminal court in burlington, but he was order by a judge to remain held without bond. police earlier classified the shooting as hate crime. president joe biden is also denounced the incident and pledged federal assistance in the investigation. the controversial media reports in the death of an israeli girl suggest that the regime might have implemented its hannival protocol in the war in gaza. israely media early this month reported the 12-year-old girl was killed on october 7th unpresent attack by hamas resistance fighters that as an eyewitness surviving the instance believes that a girl together with her family was killed by rounds shot by israeli tanks. the witness says that israeli tanks fired at the house where hamas resistance fighters. kept the captives. media reports later held hamos fighters responsible

awartani is a junior at brown university, abdal-hamid a student at haverford college, and ahmed attendsonnecticut's trinity college. they were in vermont for thanksgiving, visiting one of their families. today, attorney general merrick garland said that because of the israeli-hamas conflict, tensions here are high. >> all of us have also seen a sharp increase in the volume and frequency of threats to jewish, muslim and arab communities across our country since october 7. there is understandable fear in communities across the country. william: the shooting comes amid a documented rise in islamophobia and anti-arab incidents. since the israel-hamas conflict began, the council on american-islamic relations has received over 1200 requests for help or reports of bias, a 216% surge from the same time last year. yearthose incidents include at least one murder, two other attempted murders and numerous violent threats, involving guns being discharged or brandished. on october 15, six-year-old chicago resident wadea al-fayoume was killed, stabbed 26 times by his landlord. officials say he targete

hisham ali awartani, tansi nal ali khanon mosan abdil sustained entries and the armed attack which took place on saturday evening in the city of birlington. the palestinian men survived the shooting, but two of them are currently in intensive care. according to reports, the students were wearing the traditional palestinian scarf and speaking arabic when they were attacked. the families of the victims have called on us officials to investigate the incident as a hate crime and bring the shooter to justice. palestinian foreign minister is also condemn the attack urging officials to quickly arrest the criminal. police in burlington. have not identified or apprehended the assailant as of yet. again, breaking news uh that qatar has announced that the ceasfire has been extended for two more days. again, the ceasefire between hamas and the israeli regime has been extended for two more days. meanwhile, more rallies have been held worldwide in solidarity with. palestinians in gaza with protesters calling for permanent ceasfire. no justice no peace, no justice, no peace, no justice no. in france t

unian students have been shot near university campus in the state of vermont, hisham ali awartani, tassin anail ali and kinan mohsen abdel sustained injuries in the armed attack which took place on saturday evening in the city of burlington. the palestinian men survived the shooting incidents, but two of them are currently in the intensive care unit. according to reports, the students were wearing the traditional palestinian headdresss and speaking arabic when they were attacked. the families of the victims have called on us officials to. investigate the incident as a hate crime and bring the shooter to justice. the palestinian foreign ministry has also condemned the attack urging us officials to quickly arrest a criminal. police in burlington have not... identified or apprehended this silence yet. four rallies have been held worldwide, solidarity with palestinians in gaza with protesters calling for a permanent ceasefire. no justice will be free, will be free, in france thousands demonstrated in lyon, demanding an end to israel's amassacre of civilians in the ghaza strip, in the spanish

certain university authorities of supporting the tel aviv regime. the victims are identified as sisham awartanitasin ali ahmad and kennan abdul hamed all in their 20s. they remain under medical care for sustaining gunshot wounds, the perpetrator identified as jason j.. has polited not guilty to charges of second degree murder a criminal court in berlington, but he was ordered by judge to remain held without bond, police is classified a shooting is hate crime. president biden has also dennounced the incident and pledged federal assistance in the ongoing investigation. iranian capital city is hosting gathering of national and international scholars reviewing letter written by the leader of iran's islamic revolution. the letter. addresses the youths in europe and united states, it was written in 2015. simony has more. scholars and thinkers have come together in a meeting at tehwan university to review a 2015 letter sent by iran's leader to the youth in europe and the united states. the meeting discussed how the leader is vision is finally being materialized in 2023. in the letter written in januar

certain university authorities of supporting the israeli regime. the victims are identified as hisham awartaniahsin ali ahmad and kennan abdul hamid, all in their 20s, they remain under medical care for sustainings. the perpetrator, identified as jason g. eden was played not guilty to charges of second degree murder a criminal court in burlington, but he was ordered by a judge to remain held without. bond, police had classified a shooting is hate crime. president biden has also denounced the incident and pledged federal assistance in the investigation. controversial media reports and the death of in israel girl suggest that the regime might have implemented as hannibal protocol in the war in gaza. israely media early this month reported a 12-year-old girl was killed in october seventh unprecedented attack by hamas fighters. that as an eyewitness surviving the incident. believes the girl together with family was killed by rounds shot by israely tanks. the witness says that israely tanks fired a house where hamas fighters kept the captives. media reports later held. hamas responsible for the dea

hisham ali awartani, tansinal ali and kanan mohsan abdel, sustained injuries in the armed attack which took place on saturday evening. in the city of burlington, the palestinian men survived the shooting incident, but two of them are currently in the intensive care. according to reports, the students were wearing the traditional scarfs and speaking arabic when they were high attacked. all the families of the victims have called on us officials to investigate the incident as a hate crime and bring the shooter to justice. the palestinian foreign ministry has also condemned the attack urging officials to quickly arrest. the criminal, police in burlington have so far been unable to identify or apprehend the assailt. meanwhile, more rallies have been held worldwide in solidarity with palestinians in gaza, with protesters calling for a permanent ceasefire. is justified is justified no justice no peace no justice no peace no justice sir will be free will be free palestine free palesty in france now demonstrated in lion, demanding an end to israel's massacre of civilians in the gaza strip. in

families of the victims have identified them as hisham awartani, a junior at brown university and kinnan abdalhamid, a junior at havorford college and tahseen ahmaad. >> they were spending the thanksgiving holiday together. >> reporter: the victims' families releasing a joint statement saying we're devastated by the news that our children were targeted and shot. they're calling on law enforcement to treat the investigation as a hate crime. >> we're afraid that it is most likely a crime against palestinians. >> reporter: officials saying there's no known motive yet, but the burlington mayor stressing the possibility of a hate crime is being prioritized in the police investigation. tonight the families say two of the three men remain in icu. hisham shot in the spine may not be able to walk again. and the parents who live in the west bank are trying to get here to the u.s. to be by their son's side. this as the search for the suspect continues. kate? >> liz, thank you. >>> millions of americans are making their way back home today after the thanksgiving holiday and a record number of them a

a man wshot three victims, hisham awartani, tahseen ahmed and kinnan abdalhamid, near the universityont and ran away. two victims are us citizens and the third is a us — the suspect jason eaton, the shooting comes amid a rise in anti—islamic incidents reported around the us. the first of our reports comes from middle east correspondent hugo bachega. free again. 14 israeli hostages released by hamas head home after their long ordeal, along with three foreign nationals. among them were is—year—olds dafna and ela elyakim, eight, with about 180 people still in captivity in gaza, the painful wait of the families continues. earlier the bbc spoke to a man whose sister has been kidnapped by hamas, showers abducted along with her husband, her in—laws and her daughter. gili roman told the bbc about her story and his optimism despite the fact that she has not yet been released. they were put inside a vehicle towards gaza, and just before the border, they decided they are going to jump out of the vehicle, try to escape and run for their life. so, my sister was holding geffen in her arms, they we

ali ahmad of trinity college, kenny and abd al-hamid, a student at haverford college, and hisham awartani, a junior at brown. hisham awarded his uncle, tells the new york times a bullet hit his nephew spine and he lost feeling in the lower part of his body. burlington's police chief saying in this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate motivated crime, but still urging the public not to make any conclusions, adding there is no additional information to suggest the suspect's motive. the fbi overnight said it's providing resources in support of the investigation, hoping to help determine any potential factors and motives. the fbi previously warned of so-called lone wolf attackers motivated by the israel-hamas war. as for jason eaton, police have not revealed any other details about him. he'll be arraigned today. >> there is hope this morning that the cease fire between israel and hamas may be extended beyond today. it follows these heartwarming scenes of hostages reunited with their loved ones after 50 days in captivity. 17 more hostage

old were shot and transported to the hospital families of the victims have identified as hisham awartani, a junior at brown university, and kinnan abdalhamid, a jr. at haverford college, both u.s. citizens and tahseen ahmad, a junior at trinity college. the friends grew up together in the west bank city of ramallah rani amaya is their former school director. >> they're amazing students and we're proud of them. and they were there for the thanksgiving holiday, spending it at hisham's grandmother's. >> reporter: the victims' families releasing a joint statement saying as parents, we are devastated by the horrific news that our children or targeted and shot. they're calling on law enforcement to treat it as a hate crime. >> we're afraid it is most likely a crime against palestinians. >> reporter: officials saying there is no known motive yet, but the burlington mayor saying the possibility of a hate crime is being prioritized in the investigation. the family say two of the three men remain in icu. risch sham, shot in the spine, may not be able to walk again. and the parents who live in the

tahseen ali ahmed of trinity college, kinnan abdalhamid, a student at haverford college, and hisham awartani, a junior at brown university. their families saying in a joint statement "we call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime." and the fbi tells us the agency is aware of the incident and has previously warned of lone wolf attackers that may be inspired by the israel/hamas war. linsey. >> reena roy for us, thanks so much. >> linsey: now to the deadly winter storm sweeping east just in time for the post thanksgiving rush. heavy snow caused white out conditions across kansas today where snow plows were out in full force. more than 100 accidents across that region and in nebraska, at least two people died. that storm system now impacting travel along the i-95 corridor. morgan norwood has the latest. >> reporter: tonight, a massive winter storm creating deadly and dangerous conditions during the post-thanksgiving holiday travel crush. in nebraska, emergency crews responding to at least 30 crashes, 2 people were killed. this suv flipped

. >> the three victims, each 20 years old are, hisham awartani, the student at brown university in rhodeo now has a bullet lodged in his sign. kinnan abdalhamid, student at college in pennsylvania shot in the glute, and tahseen ali ahmad, a student at trinity college in connecticut still has a bullet in his chest. -- police say the students were walking down the street saturday evening while visiting one of their relatives for thanksgiving. >> they were speaking in a mixture of english and arabic. this is their want. two were wearing keffiyehs, and they had no knowledge of this individual, have not encountered him before. he stepped off a porch and produced a firearm and began discharge in the far. >> -- reports, violence towards and policy instance the outbreak of the palestinian hamas war, call should be considered a hate crime. >> i believe the fear here that this was motivated by hate, that these boys were targeted because they were arabs, that they were wearing keffiyehs, i think that is our fear. >> federal officials investigating whether it was a hate crime, in the eyes of the law

palestinian mission to the uk, husam zomlot, shared this photo — and naming the injured victims as hisham awartaninds had been on their way to a family dinner when the shoooting happened. when the shooting happened. our north america correspondent, shingai nyoka, has more. police in burlington, vermont, responded to reports of gunfire near the university of vermont campus at about 6:30 last night. they say that three young men were wounded and after they were shot two of them are in a stable condition and one is in more serious condition. they say that they were just walking around the campus and a man just walked up to them, didn�*t say a word and opened fire, firing four rounds from his handgun. now, three of these, the three men were of palestinian descent. two are us citizens and one is a legal resident. they say that two of the men were wearing the palestinian scarf, the kufi around their necks. and so while they haven�*t really identified or confirmed a motive, they are looking into this as a possible hate crime. will what we have heard from the american arab anti—discrimination committee is

. >> reporter: the three victims are hisham awartani, a student at brown university in rhode island whoas a bullet in his spine. kinnan ab ball hamid shot in the glute and tahseen ahmed who still has a bullet in his chest. the students were walking down the street saturday evening while visiting one of their relatives for thanksgiving. >> they were speaking in a mixture of english and arabic which is their want. two were wearing keffiyehs and they had no knowledge of this individual, had not encountered him before. he stepped off a porch and produced a firearm and began discharging that firearm. >> reporter: the rising reports of targeted violence against joous and palestinians since the start of the war have shifted calls that it should be considered a hate crime. >> i believe the families fear this was motivated by hate, that these boys were -- these young men were targeted because they were arabs, that they were wearing keffiyehs. i think that is our fear. >> reporter: federal officials investigating whether it was a hate crime in the eyes of the law. the families of the victims said

. >> reporter: the victims are hisham awartani, who has a bullet lodged in his spine, kinnan abdalhamident from pennsylvania shot in the glut, and tahseen ali ahmad still has a bullet in his chest. they studied together at a non-profit quaker school in the occupied west bank. police say the students were walking down the street saturday evening while visiting one of their relatives for thanksgiving. >> they were speaking in a mixture of english and arabic, which is their want. two were wearing -- and they had no knowledge of this individual, had not encountered him before. he stepped off a porch, produced a firearm, and began discharging that firearm. >> reporter: amid rising reports of targeted violence against jews and palestinians since the outbreak of the israel-hamas rule, the issue immediately received calls it should be called a hate crime. >> i believe families fear this was motivated by hate, that these boys were -- these young men -- were targeted because they were arabs, that they were wearing -- >> reporter: federal officials investigating whether it was a hate crime in the

palestinian mission to the uk husam zomlot shared this photo and identified the victims as hisham awartanirred. we can go live to our north america correspondent shingai nyoka. what further details can you tell us about in the shooting?— what further details can you tell us about in the shooting? while police in burlington _ about in the shooting? while police in burlington were _ about in the shooting? while police in burlington were vermont, - in burlington were vermont, responded to reports of gunfire near the university of vermont campus at about 6:30 p:m.. they say that about 6:30 p: m.. they say that three young men were wounded, and after they were shot, two of their eight them are in a stable condition and one is in more serious condition. they say they were just walking around the campus and the man just walked up to them, didn't say a word, and open fire. firing four rounds from his handgun. no, three of these, the three men were of palestinian descent. two are us citizens and what is a legal resident. two of the men were wearing the palestinian scarf, they could fear around thei

a man wshot three victims, hisham awartani, tahseen ahmed and kinnan abdalhamid, near the university

and hisham awartani has a bullet lodged in his spine. hisham's uncle, rich price, joins us now.ich, i just want to say thank you, first off, for being here tonight. and we are thinking of all three of them. can you just tell me how they're doing, how all three of them are faring tonight? >> well, first of all, thank you for having me and have a chance to talk about these three incredible young men. i've been with them since -- they've been our house guests, our guests, for thanksgiving, as they have been the last few years. and they have demonstrated incredible resilience, incredible strength. i think it's, especially my nephew, hisham, who is -- has no movement from the waist down, as you said, has a bullet lodged in his spine, he faces a very long road to recovery. >> have doctors given you an indication of just how long that road could potentially be? >> we're trying to stay optimistic, kaitlan. and we know that in circumstance like this, it's not just medical help. it's also the strength and resilience of the individual. and in that department, hisham -- if anyone can do it,

the family says kinnan abdalhamid, tahseen ali ahmad, hisham awartani, we're out for a walk chatting in arabic and english. two of them were wearing keffiyeh, traditional arab scarves. they told police a man in a hoodie walked toward them and pulled out a pistol and started firing, without saying a word. all three were shot. >> they are all stable but, his sham the pro notices he will not likely be able to walk again. we spoke to erin mclaughlin today, it will change my son's life, forever. there is no reason that he should have been targeted in this way, because it was a targeted crime without a doubt. >> reporter: authorities have not charged him with a hate crime, but they are still investigating. his father wanted him to stay in the u.s. for the holidays becaus be abo inwhat do you make of what we h>> october seven, s have been documentinthat it hast has gotten worse since the october 7th attack. you mentioned the brutal stabbing of the seven year old, it is so horrifying to so many americans to think that that could happen here. that is the fear. many arab americans, large brown

shin era tawny, family says cannon abdul hamid were up kinnan abdalhamid, tahseen ali ahmad, hisham awartani for a walk,, chatting in arabic and we're out for a walk english. two of chatting in them were wearing arabic and coffee as, english. two of them traditional arab were wearing keffiyeh scarves. according to, traditional the affidavit, abdul hamid arab scarves. said a man in they told police a hoodie walked toward them a man in a hoodie and pulled out walked toward a pistol and started them and pulled out firing. a pistol and started without saying a word. firing, all without saying a word. three were shot. all three were shot. >> >> they are they're all stable. all stable but, hum, the his sham the prognosis is that he pro won't be notices he able to walk again. will not likely >> reporter: his parents be able to walk spoke at nbc news is again. maclachlan today in the west bank city of we spoke to erin ramallah. >> it was a vicious crime. mclaughlin today it will change my, it will change son's life. my son's >> forever. life, forever. >> there is there is no reason that he no reason

the students themselves were identified by family members as hisham awartani, kinnan abdalhamid and tahseenty college. i've been hearing anecdotes from family members, through statements, these are respectable young men here trying to enjoy the holiday. two of the students are u.s. citizens, the third a legal resident. obviously the sentiment from the community here, from their family members is they wanted this to be investigated as a hate crime. we're learning from police two of them were wearing those ke ffrjsfiyehs, those traditional scars. nevertheless, we have been hearing some word that there might be some other vigils and protests taking place as a result of this shooting. but, again, people waiting to see what happens here during the arraignment as well as what the mayor and police chief have to say later this afternoon. >> the arraignment expected to begin any moment via video conference. we'll be carrying that as soon as it gets under way. thank you very much, george solis. stay close. we'll go back to you once this court appearance happening. >>> back to israel where tech billio

understanding that we were actually able to -- our colleagues overseas were able to speak with hisham awartanie injuries his son faces and his lengthy road to recovery. >> hisham the prognosis, is it's very likely he won't be able to walk again. he has something called an incomplete spinal injury. i feel -- i feel empty inside. just this knowledge that there was something that happened to my son that i can't -- i mean, he's my baby. there was no reason for this man to approach them. there's no reason for him to try and kill them, i mean, essentially, it's a miracle they're all alive. >> reporter: plenty to go through to see what else authorities learned about this individual. again, as you mentioned, the mayor and the police are expecting to hold a news conference at noon. again, the family members and many in this community are hoping that this investigation does indeed turn into that hate crime investigation for the shooting of these three college students. jose. >> george solis in burlington, thank you so much. appreciate it. >>> up next, both hamas, israel, the united states is also sugges