The Tel Aviv District Court on Sunday sentenced Hamam Suleiman, 13, from Samaria, to 100 years in prison and NIS 32,<> in compensation, convicted of attempted murder after stabbing a man he knew before the incident simply because he was Jewish.
According to the indictment, Suleiman knew the complainant, who used to volunteer at a soup kitchen in Tel Aviv that he used to visit. A friendly relationship developed between the two, during which Suleiman would stay at the complainant's apartment, dine there and wash his clothes.
Against the background of the terrorist attacks
Against the backdrop of terrorist attacks against Jewish civilians in March 2022, the defendant made the decision to murder the complainant for nationalist-ideological and religious motives.
Suleiman was greatly influenced by the wave of nationalist terrorism present in Israel.Hamas operatives with the organization's flag (archive), photo: AP
In the evening of last year, Suleiman was in Israel illegally, came to the complainant's apartment and asked to enter the apartment, taking advantage of their friendship. The complainant complied and went to the bathroom in the apartment. The defendant then went to the kitchen of the apartment, took a knife and stabbed the complainant in the back.
The complainant tried to defend himself, locked the bathroom door and called for help through the bathroom window. The defendant fled the apartment, leaving the complainant bleeding and the knife lodged in his back. The complainant was evacuated for medical treatment where he underwent surgery and was hospitalized for a week.
Suleiman's criminal record includes eight convictions for which he served 8 prison terms for a cumulative term of about 6 years, including throwing Molotov cocktails and throwing an object in a traffic lane three times.
In the arguments for punishment, the prosecution, which sought to impose a 14-year prison sentence on the defendant, claimed that he abused the complainant's trust and caused serious harm not only to his body but also to his soul, his ability to feel safe in his home, and his ability to believe in a person.
A victim's report was also brought to court, where the complainant described the discrepancy between his attitudes toward people before and after the incident.
"I knew the complainant, he was kind to me"
The defendant himself said that although he had security offenses, not because he was against or hated the Jews: "I was looking for a place to do things so that I would have a place as a shelter. Because outside I don't have my own place. I lived in Israel for three years, I used to sleep in gardens on benches and in the end I met this man who complained and I slept with him, he was generous to me.
"I respected him, but I didn't respect his behavior. If I had the intention of murdering him, I would have armed myself with a knife from the house in advance and come to him. I would stab him in the stomach and not in his back. I was not aware of what I had done. I'm sorry and regret everything I did," Suleiman said.
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