Joliet, Illinois - A jury on Friday convicted a man of murder for killing a six-year-old Palestinian-American child in Illinois, deeming the horrific attack to be a hate crime.

Joseph Czuba, 73, was convicted for stabbing Wadea Al-Fayoumi 26 times, as well as assaulting the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen, a week after the start of the Israel's brutal war on Gaza in October 2023, amid skyrocketing Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism in the US.

The man, who was the family's landlord, was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, and two counts of a hate crime.

During the autopsy, a serrated military knife with a six-inch blade was removed from the child's abdomen.

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"Today's verdict delivers a measure of justice for Wadee Al-Fayoumi's family and sends a clear message that hate-fueled violence has no place here," said Abed Ayoub, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).

"We will never accept nor forget that a six-year-old child lost his life because of dangerous anti-Palestinian rhetoric."

The Palestinian-American family's lawyers welcomed the verdict but said it did not make up for the loss of the child's life.

"While we are relieved that his killer has been held accountable, we must continue to stand against the rising tide of hate that led to this senseless act," they said in a statement.

Sentencing for Czuba, who faces life imprisonment, was set for May 2.

According to the Will County Sheriff's Office, the victims were targeted "due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis."