Fatal arson attack that left 18-month-old baby dead is called ‘terror’ incident by both Israeli and Palestinian officials

The three family members of a toddler burned alive in a West Bank arson attack on Friday are still in a critical condition with life-threatening injuries in a hospital near Tel Aviv.



The fatal arson attack that left 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh dead, believed to be carried out by Jewish settler extremists on Friday morning, has been called “terror” by both Israeli and Palestinian officials.

The boy’s mother Reham, 27, is in a critical condition after sustaining third-degree burns over up to 90% of her body in the fire that ravaged the family’s four-bedroom home in Duma south-east of Nablus on the West Bank.

Her husband Saad, 30, is also on life support at Soroka medical centre in Be’er Sheva after suffering third degree burns on up to 80% of his body.

Lee Gat, a spokeswoman for Sheba medical centre, the intensive care unit of Tel Hashomer Hospital, told the Guardian the three Dawabsheh family members were still alive but remained in a critical condition facing life-threatening wounds. Reham is facing the most serious wounds and is on life support.

The least injured of the three family members is their four-year-old son Ahmad who suffered second-degree burns of his body and is at the same hospital as his mother.

While the incident has been roundly condemned internationally it has generated widespread protest and violence across the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

South of Nablus in nearby Duma, where the Dawabsheh infant died, settlers from the outpost of Esh Kodesh clashed with Palestinians. There were no reported injuries but according to reports Israeli forces arrived at the scene, cordoning it off and labelling it a “closed military zone”.

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Two Palestinians have been killed in the past 24 hours after the fatal arson attack. On Saturday morning a Palestinian youth was killed by Israeli forces in Ramallah in the wake of violent West Bank clashes that erupted after 18-month-old Dawabsheh was killed in an arson attack.

According to Palestinian medical officials, Laith Fadel al-Khaladi, 17, from Jifna near Ramallah, died early on Saturday after he was shot by Israeli sniper fire during clashes at Atara checkpoint near Bir Zeit. The teenager was taken to a hospital in Ramallah where he died overnight.

Earlier on Friday Mohammed al-Masri, also 17, from Gaza was killed by Israeli army fire as he reportedly approached the border fence during a youth protest against the arson attack.

According to the Israeli Defence Force, soldiers fired twice at Palestinians approaching the border fence with Israel in the northern Gaza strip. The army said at first Palestinians approached the fence and were 30 metres away. Israeli soldiers tried to stop them getting closer by shooting into the air.

The IDF said they then fired at two men who did not leave the area near the fence, claiming they aimed below their waistlines. The men then moved away from the fenced area separating Gaza and Israel.

Israel forces fired a second round of ammunition after they said five Palestinians threw stones at the border fence. The IDF said they fired at the legs of the protesters. Mohammed al-Masri was killed during the second round of fire.

Dozens of other Palestinians were injured in clashes across the West Bank on Friday. Another Palestinian youth in Hebron was shot in the leg during violent protests and another four were injured when the IDF fired tear gas and rubber bullets at stone-throwers near Halhul in the West Bank.

Clashes broke out overnight in East Jerusalem. In Shuaafat refugee camp another Palestinian was seriously injured with a rubber-coated steel bullet allegedly fired at his head and another 11 were injured during clashes.

In Beit Hanina fire bombs were thrown at Pisgat Ze’ev, a Jewish settlement with over 50,000 residents.



