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Sunday, August 3, 2025
Palestinian man killed in fire allegedly set by settlers was US citizen, says State Dept.
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The US State Department confirms that an American citizen died this week in the West Bank, with family and Palestinian officials attributing his death to arson by Israeli settlers.
The Palestinian Authority and witnesses reported on Thursday that Israeli settlers had set fire to homes and cars in the West Bank village of Silwad.
Khamis Ayyad, 41, died from smoke inhalation due to the fires, the Palestinian health ministry said.
Speaking Friday at a press conference in Chicago, Ayyad’s family said he had moved to the West Bank several years ago with his wife and children, but continued to work for an American company.
A spokesperson for the State Department confirms that a US citizen had been killed but does not name Ayyad. The spokesperson adds that “we condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank.”
The IDF tells AFP that “several suspects… set fire to property and vehicles in the Silwad area,” but forces dispatched to the scene were unable to identify them. It adds that Israeli police had launched an investigation.
Israeli authorities requested that the Palestinian Authority provide them with the findings of the autopsy carried out on Ayyad.
The Times of Israel Community.