A Palestinian American died within the Israeli-occupied West Bank final week after a confrontation with settlers, U.S. officers confirmed.
Khamis Ayyad, who was in his 40s, died Thursday from smoke inhalation in Silwad, a village within the central West Financial institution close to a number of Israeli settlements, a U.S. official instructed CBS Information. The Palestinian well being ministry mentioned on Friday that the fires had been set by settlers on properties and automobiles in Silwad, based on the Agence France-Presse.
Nasser Nasser / AP
A U.S. State Division spokesperson confirmed to CBS Information the demise on Sunday and condemned what they referred to as “prison violence by any social gathering.”
“We provide condolences to the household on their loss and are offering consular help to them,” the spokesperson mentioned, including that they’d not be commenting additional.
Ayyad was laid to relaxation on Friday.
Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua by way of Getty Pictures 
The Palestinian Authority, which administers a part of the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, instructed AFP that some villages round Silwad additionally got here below assault by settlers, through which automobiles, properties and farmlands had been set ablaze.
Witnesses mentioned Israeli forces fired dwell rounds and tear fuel towards residents after the settlers attacked.
Israel’s navy mentioned police had been investigating the incident. They mentioned safety forces discovered Hebrew graffiti and a burnt car on the scene however had not detained any suspects.
ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP by way of Getty Pictures 
Ayyad is the newest Palestinian American to die within the West Financial institution in three weeks.
Saifullah Kamel Musallet, a 20-year-old man from Tampa, was beaten to death by settlers whereas visiting household within the West Financial institution in July. He was killed in a confrontation with settlers whereas defending his household’s land within the city of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, based on his household and the Palestinian Well being Ministry.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who visited Gaza final week with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, has requested Israel to “aggressively examine the homicide” of Musallet, saying in a social media put up that “there should be accountability for this prison and terrorist act.”
There was an increase in settler assaults on Palestinians, in addition to Palestinian militant assaults on Israelis and large-scale Israeli navy operations within the occupied West Financial institution since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 assault on Israel out of Gaza that triggered the Israel-Hamas struggle.
Hamas-led terrorists killed round 1,200 folks, principally civilians, that day and kidnapped 251 others. They nonetheless maintain 50 hostages, together with round 20 nonetheless believed to be alive. Many of the others have been launched in ceasefires or different offers.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, based on Gaza’s Well being Ministry, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians and operates below the Hamas authorities. The U.N. and different worldwide organizations see it as essentially the most dependable supply of information on casualties.
In Gaza on Sunday, no less than 23 Palestinians searching for meals had been killed by Israeli forces, based on hospital officers and witnesses, who described dealing with gunfire as hungry crowds surged round help websites.
Desperation has gripped the Palestinian territory of greater than 2 million, which specialists have warned is dealing with famine due to Israel’s blockade and almost two-year offensive.
contributed to this report.
