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29 March 2024

Baby dead, family now fighting for lives

Published
By Agencies

The parents and brother of a Palestinian toddler burned to death by suspected Jewish extremists were fighting for their lives Saturday.

The firebombing of the family's home in the occupied West Bank that killed 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha has sparked an international outcry over Israel's failure to curb violence by hardline settlers.

The child's father, Saad, was being treated for third-degree burns at the Soroka hospital in southern Israel, where a spokeswoman described his condition as "critical".

Mother Riham and four-year-old brother Ahmed were at Tel Hashomer hospital near Tel Aviv, where a spokeswoman described their condition as life-threatening.

On Saturday evening, hundreds of Gazans held a candlelight vigil and mock funeral for Dawabsha.

Burnt to death in an arson attack

A Palestinian toddler was burnt to death in an arson attack by suspected Jewish settlers on homes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, sparking clashes in which a teenager was shot and died Saturday.

The Friday arson attack, which also critically wounded the toddler's parents and brother, stoked running tensions, sparking protests by hundreds of people and sporadic clashes.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the firebombing "an act of terrorism in every respect" and made a rare telephone call to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation said it held his government "fully responsible".

The death of 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha was "a direct consequence of decades of impunity given by the Israeli government to settler terrorism", the PLO said.

Abbas said he had ordered his foreign minister to file a complaint at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

The US State Department condemned the "vicious terrorist attack" in "the strongest possible terms," urging Israel to "apprehend the murderers" and calling on both sides to "avoid escalating tensions".

In the clashes that followed the youngster's death, Palestinians said 14-year-old Laith Khaldi was wounded by ‘live’ fire north of Ramallah and died hours later in hospital.

Several thousand people took to Duma's streets for the funeral of the toddler, whose body was wrapped in a Palestinian flag.

'Revenge' sprayed on wall

The family's small brick and cement home was gutted by fire, and a Jewish Star of David spray-painted on a wall along with the words "revenge".

Palestinian security officials said four suspected settlers set fire to the house before dawn and fled to a nearby settlement.

The masked assailants reportedly hurled Molotov cocktails through the windows, which were left open because of the summer heat.

The injured included the toddler's mother Riham, 26, and father, Saad, as well as his four-year-old brother Ahmed, all three in critical condition treated in hospitals for third-degree burns.

The identity of the fourth person hurt was not immediately clear.

'Despicable murder'

The European Union called on Israel to show "zero tolerance" for settler violence, while Jordan, strongly condemned the attack.

"This ugly crime could have been avoided if the Israeli government had not ignored the rights of the Palestinian people and turned its back on peace," government spokesman Mohammed Momani said.

And UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the murder while calling on both sides to "take bold steps to return to the path of peace".