Duma arson attack | |
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Village of Duma from the west with the Jordan valley in the background
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Location | Duma, Palestine |
Coordinates | 32°03′27″N 35°22′02″E / 32.05750°N 35.36722°E |
Date | 31 July 2015 |
Attack type
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Molotov cocktail |
Deaths | 3 |
Non-fatal injuries
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1 |
Motive | Jewish terrorism |
The Duma village arson attack refers to the firebombing of a Palestinian family home in late July 2015 in the village of Duma, which resulted in the loss of life of three of the family members; 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh was burned alive in the fire, while both his parents died from their injuries within weeks. On January 3, 2016, 21 year old Jewish settler, Amiram Ben-Uliel, was indicted for the murder, and along with a Jewish minor, for participation in the planning the murder. In addition, along with two others, they were both charged with one count of membership in a terrorist organization. At the same time the gag order on the incident was lifted.
It emerged in investigations that the attack had apparently been planned in a cave called the "Red House" built from a previously existing Palestinian structure, on a site that was then turned into an Israeli outpost called Yishuv HaDaat. According to Rabbis for Human Rights, the state still plans to legalize this same outpost, though it was stolen through threats and violence from its Palestinian owners.
On 31 July 2015, two family homes in Duma, a Palestinian village in the West Bank, were firebombed by masked attackers. According to all reports, the first house was empty and they then went to a second house, where 18-month-old Ali Sa'ad Dawabsheh was burnt to death; his parents and 4-year-old brother were critically injured and rushed to Israeli hospitals, the father died of his burns several days later. Five weeks later, the mother, Reham Dawabsheh, died of her injuries.
According to local accounts, the family had returned home from a visit with relatives at around 1:30 AM, and sometime after they went to bed, between 2 and 4 AM, two masked assailants smashed windows and threw Molotov cocktails into the sleeping quarters. The IDF stated that windows had been smashed before the firebombs were lobbed in. Another report states that the house itself was doused and set alight. Neighbors stated that both parents emerged from their home enveloped in flames, and that two masked men were observed fleeing the scene. The news venue Haaretz, however, reported that the torched houses were in the middle of the town, such that it would not have been easy for outside intruders to "make a getaway."