Thousands attend funeral for second Duma attack victim

Saad Dawabsha, the father of the toddler killed in the firebomb attack last week on their home, laid to rest in West Bank village

Thousands of people turned out Saturday for the funeral of Saad Dawabsha, the father of the Palestinian toddler killed in the firebomb attack on their West Bank home last week. Dawabsha succumbed Saturday morning to the massive injuries he sustained in the attack, blamed on Jewish terrorists.

The funeral procession set out from Nablus hospital, where Dawabsha’s body was brought earlier in the day from the Israeli hospital where doctors fought to save his life, heading for the nearby village of Duma, the scene of the attack that killed his 18-month-old baby and left his wife Riham and four-year-old son Ahmed in life-threatening condition.

Tel Hashomer Hospital on Saturday said Ahmed’s condition has slightly improved, but that his condition remains serious. Doctors said they removed the respirator to which he had been attached for the previous week and that Ahmed had opened his eyes and recognized those around him.There was no word on the mother.

Speaking at the funeral, Dawabsha’s brother criticized Israel for not making any arrests connected to the attack.

Israel “could have prevented this crime. Eight days have passed since the attack and those responsible are still free,” he said, according to Channel 2.

Saad and Riham Dawabsha, with baby Ali (Channel 2 screenshot)

Joint List MK Ahmed Tibi also spoke at the funeral, accusing “those who support the settlement enterprise” who the deaths.

“In a place where they uproot trees, they also burn people,” said Tibi in reference to several incidents in which olive trees on Palestinian-owned lands in the West Bank have been uprooted by extremists.

Many Palestinian officials and politicians attended the funeral, according to the Ma’an News Agency

The Israel Defense Forces were on high alert Satuday, fearing the death of Saad Dawabsha could trigger a wave of protests and riots.

Palestinian men carry the body of Saad Dawabsha, the father of a Palestinian toddler killed last week when their home was firebombed by Jewish extremists, during his funeral in the West Bank village of Duma on August 08, 2015. Dawabsha passed away in a hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba where he was being treated for third degree burns while his wife Riham and four-year-old son Ahmed are still fighting for their lives. (Photo by FLASH90)

The Palestinian terror group Hamas called Saturday for “comprehensive confrontation” with Israel in the wake of the death.

“Nothing will stop these murderous settler attacks and… we cannot wait until they come into our villages and our homes,” Hamas spokesman Hossam Badran wrote on Facebook from his base in Qatar on Saturday.

“Our people in the West Bank have only one choice: that of open and comprehensive confrontation against the occupation.”

The United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, expressed his regret at Dawabsha’s death, and urged both sides to refrain from escalating tensions.

“I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of Saad Dawabsha, father of toddler Ali Dawabsha who was killed in an arson attack on their home in Duma village on 31 July. Despite the excellent care of Israeli and Palestinian medical professionals, early Saturday morning he succumbed to his wounds,” Mladenov said.

“On behalf of the United Nations family, I extend our heartfelt condolences to his relatives, friends and the community. Our thoughts and prayers go out for the recovery of his four year-old son, Ahmad, and his wife, Riham, who is also fighting for her life,” he said.

“I reiterate the secretary-general’s call for the perpetrators of this heinous terrorist act, which was universally condemned, to be brought swiftly to justice. Political, community and religious leaders on all sides should work together and not allow extremists to escalate the situation and take control of the political agenda.”