SAEDNEWS: The US State Department has confirmed the death of a Palestinian-American man killed in an arson attack by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Khamis Ayyad, 40, died on Thursday from smoke inhalation caused by fires after settlers set ablaze vehicles and homes in the Palestinian village of Silwad, located northeast of Ramallah.
Local residents reported that Ayyad, a husband and father of five, had been attempting to extinguish the fires to save lives alongside others.
On Sunday, the US State Department confirmed that Ayyad, a US citizen who had moved back to his native West Bank five years ago while working remotely for an American company, had died this week.
Family members and Palestinian officials attributed his death to the arson committed by Israeli settlers.
The Palestinian Authority and witnesses indicated on Thursday that Israeli settlers had set fire to homes and cars in Silwad, marking yet another attack in the occupied Palestinian territory.
During a press conference in Chicago on Friday, Ayyad’s family shared that he had relocated overseas with his wife and children, who were raised in Cicero, Illinois.
When asked to comment on Ayyad's death, a State Department spokesperson stated, “We can confirm the death of a US citizen in the town of Silwad in the West Bank,” but did not provide Ayyad's name.
“We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank,” the spokesperson added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
An Israeli forces spokesperson noted that “several suspects... set fire to property and vehicles in the Silwad area,” but troops dispatched to the scene were unable to identify the perpetrators.
The spokesperson also mentioned that Israeli police had launched an investigation into the arson attacks.
Ayyad is at least the second Palestinian-American man killed in West Bank settler violence within the past month, following the brutal beating death of 20-year-old Sayfollah "Saif" Musallet while visiting family in the town of Sinjil, where they own farmland.
Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli settlers viciously assaulted Musallet, who was pronounced dead before reaching the hospital. The US ambassador to Tel Aviv, Mike Huckabee, called for an investigation into the “criminal and terrorist act.”
The West Bank is home to approximately three million Palestinians, while an estimated 500,000 Israelis reside in illegal settlements built in the occupied Palestinian land.
Since Israeli forces launched a military campaign against Palestinians in the neighboring Gaza Strip in October 2023, which has resulted in the deaths of 60,800 individuals, violence by settlers in the occupied West Bank has surged.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 1,012 Palestinians have been killed, and more than 7,000 injured by Israeli forces and illegal settlers in the West Bank.
In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark ruling declaring the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory illegal, demanding the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Al-Quds Jerusalem.
