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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) \u2014 Federal prosecutors charged a former rideshare driver in connection with an antisemitic attack on a passenger at San Francisco International Airport in 2023 that occurred weeks after the Hamas-led incursion into Israel on Oct. 7 that sparked the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 39-year-old man was arrested Wednesday and was in court for his initial appearance. He is charged with committing a federal hate crime and faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.<\/p>\n The alleged attack occurred on Oct. 26, 2023, when federal prosecutors said the defendant approached the victim at a pickup spot and asked if they were Jewish or Israeli, saying he would not transport a Jewish or Israeli person. He then punched the victim in the face, prosecutors alleged.<\/p>\n The indictment did not mention whether the victim was actually Jewish or Israeli, only that the defendant perceived them to be.<\/p>\n The defendant’s federal public defender did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.<\/p>\n More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza<\/a>, the territory\u2019s Health Ministry says. The ministry doesn\u2019t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead. Some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in southern Israel during the Oct. 7 attack that began the war. Around 250 people were abducted, and Hamas is believed to still be holding about 100 hostages<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n