Man convicted of hate crime for attacking Israeli in New York after Oct. 7

Yehia Amin, accused of attacking an Israeli tourist in Manhattan 2023, is convicted of a hate crime in a New York City court.

On October 18, 2023, shortly after the Hamas invasion of Israel, Amin stalked and punched a 23-year-old Jewish Israeli near Times Square, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said in an indictment after the incident.

Amin is convicted of assault as a hate crime in the third degree in the New York State Supreme Criminal Court. He is expected to be sentenced to 90 days in prison, followed by five years of probation, at the end of May.

The attack was part of a surge in antisemitic incidents after the Hamas attack on Israel.

The indictment said the victim was walking with four friends who were all wearing kippahs when they passed by Amin, who recognized them as Jewish and began to pursue them.

Amin taunted the group, telling them, “Hamas should kill more of you,” “May Allah kill all the Jews,” and “All Jews should die.”

Amin ran up behind the victim and punched him in the back of the head, then fled the scene.

The Israelis followed him, along with a police officer, who arrested him.

While under arrest, Amin continued to shout antisemitic statements, including, “God kill all the Jewish people,” the District Attorney’s Office said.

The conviction is one of a series of hate crimes and Israel-related cases from 2023 and 2024 that are being resolved in New York City courts.

Hate crime convictions are rare in the city because prosecutors must prove the offender was motivated by bias against the victim, a high legal bar.