Palestinian-American dies of smoke inhalation in West Bank after settlers set fires to cars, homes

A Palestinian American died in the Israeli-occupied West Bank last week after a confrontation with settlers, U.S. officials confirmed.

Khamis Ayyad, who was in his 40s, died Thursday from smoke inhalation in Silwad, a village in the central West Bank near several Israeli settlements, a U.S. official told CBS News. The Palestinian health ministry said on Friday that the fires were set by settlers on homes and vehicles in Silwad, according to the Agence France-Presse.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed to CBS News the death on Sunday and condemned what they called “criminal violence by any party.”

“We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them,” the spokesperson said, adding that they would not be commenting further.

Ayyad was laid to rest on Friday.

The Palestinian Authority, which administers part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, told AFP that some villages around Silwad also came under attack by settlers, in which vehicles, homes and farmlands were set ablaze.

Witnesses said Israeli forces fired live rounds and tear gas toward residents after the settlers attacked.

Israel’s military said police were investigating the incident. They said security forces found Hebrew graffiti and a burnt vehicle at the scene but had not detained any suspects.

Israeli Police said in a statement that it has opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident “in order to determine the facts in full.”

“We caution against drawing conclusions or assigning blame prior to the completion of a professional and evidence-based investigative process. Speculative claims do not serve the pursuit of truth or accountability,” the statement said.

Ayyad is the latest Palestinian American to die in the West Bank in three weeks.

Saifullah Kamel Musallet, a 20-year-old man from Tampa, was beaten to death by settlers while visiting family in the West Bank in July. He was killed in a confrontation with settlers while protecting his family’s land in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, according to his family and the Palestinian Health Ministry.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who visited Gaza last week with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, has asked Israel to “aggressively investigate the murder” of Musallet, saying in a social media post that “there must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act.”

There has been a rise in settler attacks on Palestinians, as well as Palestinian militant attacks on Israelis and large-scale Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel out of Gaza that triggered the Israel-Hamas war.

Hamas-led terrorists killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, that day and abducted 251 others. They still hold 50 hostages, including around 20 still believed to be alive. Most of the others have been released in ceasefires or other deals.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between militants and civilians and operates under the Hamas government. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.

In Gaza on Sunday, at least 23 Palestinians seeking food were killed by Israeli forces, according to hospital officials and witnesses, who described facing gunfire as hungry crowds surged around aid sites.

Desperation has gripped the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts have warned is facing famine because of Israel’s blockade and nearly two-year offensive.

Margaret Brennan

contributed to this report.