20 March 2016•Update: 22 March 2016
By Kaamil Ahmed
JERUSALEM
The home of a man who witnessed a fatal arson attack on a Palestinian family in the Israeli-occupied West Bank last year was set on fire in the early hours of Sunday in another suspected attack by Jewish settlers.
The Palestinian Ma'an news agency quoted Palestinian official Ghassan Dhaglas as saying that unidentified assailants had thrown petrol bombs at the witness’s home in the village of Duma, located south of the West Bank city of Nablus.
Ibrahim Dawabsheh was the only person to witness last July’s arson attack by Israeli settlers that killed 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh and both of his parents, leaving their son, Ahmad Dawabsheh, 5, as the sole survivor.
"They want to kill Ibrahim. He was the only person who saw the settlers when they attacked [last July]," Duma resident Anwar Dawabsheh told Anadolu Agency, adding that Ibrahim was scheduled to appear in court next month to give evidence in the murder case.
"They threw [petrol] bombs and they broke a window," Anwar said. "Ibrahim and his wife -- he's 25 and she's 22 -- woke up and escaped from the bedroom."
He added: "They're now in hospital because of the gas; they're so scared."
According to Anwar, dozens of village residents had been affected by teargas canisters thrown by the attackers.
An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that a fire had broken out at a home in Duma and that police were investigating the incident.
Last year’s deadly arson attack in the occupied West Bank drew international condemnation, with Israeli leaders describing it as a "terrorist" attack.
Despite widespread anger among Palestinians over the slow progress of Israeli police investigations, however, no arrests in the case were made until last December.
