Resident of Palestinian village attacked by settlers: 'They tried to burn me and my family alive'

Samer al-Amar, a resident of Deir al-Hatab, tells The Times of Israel that during a settler attack on the village last night, assailants tried to set his house on fire while he and his family — his wife and their four children aged 15 to 24 — were inside.

“My daughter, who was studying for her exams in a room closer to the outside of the house, came in and told me they were throwing stones. I went out and saw settlers surrounding the house, so we shut the door. They threw Molotov cocktails and poured fuel so that we would die inside. We escaped from the house via the stairway leading up to the roof — that was the only way out,” he says.

According to al-Amar, other villagers later arrived, prompting the settlers to flee, and the family was able to get out safely.

None of the family members was injured.

Al-Amar adds that he fears for the future: “These are things a person sees in TV series and films. Who will protect us? Only God. Only thanks to God there were no dead or wounded. The settlers are not willing to leave a single village without attacking it, and if they can kill — they kill. No one holds them accountable.”