Summary:
- A Florida man, Mordechai Brafman, 27, allegedly shot two Israeli tourists in Miami Beach after mistakenly identifying them as Palestinians.
- Both victims, a Jewish father and son visiting from Israel, survived with non-life-threatening injuries (shoulder and forearm wounds).
- Police reported Brafman spontaneously admitted to targeting the victims due to their perceived Palestinian identity amid rising U.S. hate crimes linked to the Israel-Gaza war.
- Advocacy groups highlight a surge in anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic violence, citing recent attacks on Palestinian Americans, including a fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old in 2023.
A 27-year-old Florida man allegedly shot two Israeli tourists in Miami Beach after mistakenly identifying them as Palestinians, according to police reports. Mordechai Brafman faces two counts of attempted murder following the Saturday evening attack, which left both victims with non-life-threatening injuries.
The incident occurred when Brafman, driving a truck, allegedly fired multiple shots at Ari Revay and his father, who were visiting from Israel. “He put the window down, driver’s seat, and just blasted,” Revay told WPLG Local 10, describing the attack. One victim sustained a shoulder injury, while the other was struck in the forearm. Both were treated at a local hospital.
Police stated Brafman “spontaneously admitted” during his arrest that he targeted the pair because he believed they were Palestinian. The victims, identified in local reports as Jewish, were not further harmed due to bystander intervention and immediate medical response.
Rise in Hate Crimes
The shooting follows heightened warnings from advocacy groups about escalating anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic violence in the U.S. since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023. Recent incidents include:
- The fatal stabbing of 6-year-old Palestinian American Wadea al-Fayoume in Illinois in October 2023
- A Texas woman’s alleged attempt to drown a 3-year-old Palestinian American girl in 2023
- A November 2023 shooting near a Vermont university that injured three Palestinian men
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), condemned the Miami attack as part of a broader pattern: “Policymakers should stop fomenting anti-Palestinian hate that fuels genocide in Gaza and violence here.”
Authorities continue investigating potential bias motivations behind the shooting. Brafman remains in custody without bond as of Tuesday, with a court appearance scheduled later this week.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies
