Finance and Business Student

Hailey Toch

IU - Kelley School of Business

Indiana

Overview

On September 1, 2023, a student at Indiana University (IU), Hailey Ornstein Toch, posted a video on TikTok where she made violently racist remarks about a Palestinian student.

Threatening a Palestinian student with pepper spray

In the now-deleted video, Hailey details an encounter of her roommate with their Palestinian neighbor. She says she was getting ready to go to a party when another student knocked on her door to introduce himself. Later, her roommate mentioned the man was Palestinian.

https://www.tiktok.com/@haileytochracism/video/7324028181214809374

She told her roommate he was not allowed in their apartment, and they were not to engage with him, saying, "He probably wants to kill me". “Obviously, I’m very proud to be Jewish,” Hailey said. “I wouldn’t have even opened the door for him if I had known that he was from Palestine.” She ended the video with an overt threat, saying that if her Palestinian neighbor came near her again, she would have her "pepper spray ready to go".

Hailey mentioned that her Palestinian neighbor had offered to help her get into IBW (Investment Banking Workshop), a prestigious workshop aimed at getting students placed into top investment banking firms, prior to being kicked out for being Palestinian.

Context

The massacre by Israel in Gaza since October 10, 2023 has been marked by severe violence and allegations of war crimes. The The UN Human Rights Council and UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories reported clear evidence that war crimes have been committed during this latest surge of violence, emphasizing the need to hold those who violated international law and targeted civilians accountable​.

As of November 24, 2023, Israeli forces had continuously engaged the Gaza Strip for 49 days, contributing to a mounting humanitarian crisis in the region​​. The death toll has been significant, with more than 15,000 Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Furthermore, 1.7 million civilians (80% of the population) have been internally displaced in Gaza as of November 23.

In contrast, the official death count in Israel stands at 1,200​​, where over a third killed were active military members, and many of the civilian casualties were reported as being a direct result of Israeli "scorched earth" tactics where helicopters fired hellfire missiles and machine gun rounds indiscriminately at people running in the fields, and tanks shelling civilian houses in the kibbutz.

Amnesty International conducted a detailed investigation into Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, focusing on incidents between October 7 and 12. The investigation revealed multiple war crimes by the IDF, including:

  1. Indiscriminate Attacks on Civilian Areas: The IDF carried out thousands of air bombardments in the Gaza Strip, amounting to the equivalent explosion power of 2 atomic bombs, leading to widespread destruction. Attacks were found to be indiscriminate, failing to distinguish between civilian and military objectives. For instance, on October 7, an IDF strike hit a three-story residential building in Gaza City’s al-Zeitoun neighborhood, killing 15 members of the al-Dos family, including seven children. The youngest victim was just 18 months old​​.

  2. Strikes on Family Homes and Residential Buildings: On October 10, an air strike destroyed a family home in Gaza City’s al-Sahaba Street, killing 12 members of the Hijazi family and four of their neighbors. Three children were among those killed, with no evidence of military targets in the area at the time of the attack​​.

  3. Failure to Take Precautions to Spare Civilians: The IDF did not provide effective prior warnings to Palestinian civilians in many cases. Sometimes, no warnings were given at all, or they were inadequate, affecting whole buildings or streets full of people. This failure to take feasible precautions to spare civilians is a breach of international humanitarian law​​​​.

  4. Attack on a Refugee Camp and Public Market: An air strike on October 8 struck the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing members of the al-Naqla family, including children, and injuring many others​​. Additionally, on October 9, air strikes hit a market in Jabalia refugee camp, killing at least 69 people​​.

  5. Attacks on Hospitals and Medical Facilities: Israeli forces struck several healthcare facilities in Gaza. For example, the Indonesian Hospital was hit multiple times, killing civilians; the International Eye Hospital was completely destroyed; and the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital was forced to close following air raids. Additionally, well-marked ambulances were struck, resulting in casualties​​.

  6. Devastation of Gaza's Healthcare System: As of November 10, two-thirds of primary healthcare facilities and half of all hospitals in Gaza were non-functional. At least 521 people, including 16 medical workers, have been killed in 137 attacks on healthcare in Gaza​​.

  7. Claims of Hamas Using Hospitals Unsubstantiated: Israel claimed that Hamas fighters set up command centers beneath hospitals, but these claims have been contested and not corroborated by Human Rights Watch. The sweeping nature of Israel’s evacuation orders did not consider specific requirements for hospitals and patients, revealing their actual intent​​.

  8. Blockade of Gaza Strip: The total blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip has been described as a war crime of collective punishment by Human Rights Watch​​.

Biographical Information

Hailey Toch is a rising sophomore at the Kelley School of Business majoring in Finance and Business Analytics, according to her LinkedIn.

Social media and Web links

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hailey-olivia/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haileytoch

Photos and Screenshots

Quotes

"I wouldn't even open the door for him if I had known he was from Palestine."
Source
"If [my Palestinian neighbor] ever comes near me, I have my pepper spray ready to go."
Source