A rise in threats and harassment has created a growing sense of fear among Palestinians and Jews in the United States.

In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on 13 October, hundreds of people gathered for a peaceful rally when a man wielding a gun started yelling racial slurs.

In a pro-Palestinian rally at the state Capitol, Omar Mussa, who organized the event, said people ran for their lives.

“He came to this rally to terrorize us,” the 30-year-old Palestinian American said. “You should never be afraid to gather with your people and to speak about what you believe.”

He has been charged with making terroristic threats and ethnic intimidation for pointing the firearm at the crowd while spewing Islamaphobic rhetoric.

Hundreds of hate incidents have been reported against Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim Americans, according to the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee. According to the Anti-Defamation League, there have been 107 antisemitic incidents reported since the latest conflict began on 7 October.

President Biden condemned the incidents during an Oval Office address on Thursday, warning that Americans could not stand by and be silent.

Jewish and Palestinian-American leaders are concerned that the trend will persist as the war in the Middle East continues.

Brian Levin, founding director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, warns that it is going to be a rough ride because of the intensity and duration of the conflict.

In Plainfield, Illinois, a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy was killed and his mother seriously injured last week. It is alleged that their landlord targeted them because of their religion and the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel.

A man punched a woman in the face on the subway in New York City because she was Jewish, police said.