US confirms death of American in West Bank
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, the latest attack in the occupied territory.
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.
He is at least the second American citizen killed in West Bank settler violence in July, after a 20-year-old man was beaten to death while visiting family in the town of Sinjil.
Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, demanded Israel investigate that killing, calling it a "criminal and terrorist act," but has yet to comment on the death of Ayyad.
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said "several suspects ... set fire to property and vehicles in the Silwad area," but forces dispatched to the scene were unable to identify them.
It added that Israeli police had launched an investigation.
Asked for comment on the latest death, a State Department spokesperson said, "We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the town of Silwad in the West Bank," without naming Ayyad.
"We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank," the spokesperson said, on condition of anonymity.
The West Bank is home to some three million Palestinians, who live alongside about 500,000 Israeli settlers.
Violence in the territory has surged throughout the Gaza war, triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Manar
2 hours ago
- Al Manar
Leader Appoints New Representatives to Top Security and Defense Councils
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei has appointed Ali Larijani, the newly named secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), as his representative in the top security body. In a decree issued Thursday, Ayatollah Khamenei also expressed gratitude to Ali-Akbar Ahmadian, who had previously served in that capacity as secretary of the SNSC since 2023. In a separate directive, also issued Thursday, the Leader appointed Ahmadian and Ali Shamkhani, another former SNSC secretary, as his representatives on the newly established Defense Council. The Defense Council will be tasked with developing defense strategies and strengthening the capabilities of the Armed Forces. On Tuesday, President Masoud Pezeshkian, who will lead the Defense Council, appointed Larijani, a seasoned politician and former Parliament speaker, as head of the SNSC. The reshuffle in Iran's security establishment comes less than two months after the Israeli regime and the United States launched a war of aggression against the Islamic Republic. Shamkhani was seriously wounded but survived a targeted strike on his house in the initial phase of the Israeli aggression early on June 13, during which dozens of Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists were assassinated.
Nahar Net
2 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Cabinet to meet again today on Hezbollah disarmament
by Naharnet Newsdesk 07 August 2025, 13:47 Lebanon's cabinet is set to meet again on Thursday to discuss the thorny task of disarming Hezbollah, a day after the Iran-backed group rejected the government's decision to take away its weapons. With Washington pressing Lebanon to take action on the matter, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has made several visits to Beirut in recent weeks, presenting officials with a proposal that includes a timetable for Hezbollah's disarmament. Amid the U.S. pressure and fears Israel could expand its strikes in Lebanon, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Tuesday that the government had tasked the army with developing a plan to restrict weapons to government forces by the end of 2025. The decision is unprecedented since the end of Lebanon's civil war more than three decades ago, when the country's armed factions -- with the exception of Hezbollah -- agreed to surrender their weapons. The government said the new disarmament push was part of implementing a November ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. That conflict culminated last year in two months of full-blown war that left the group badly weakened, both politically and militarily. Hezbollah said on Wednesday that it would treat the government's decision to disarm it "as if it did not exist," accusing the cabinet of committing a "grave sin." It added that the move "undermines Lebanon's sovereignty and gives Israel a free hand to tamper with its security, geography, politics and future existence." The Amal Movement, Hezbollah's main ally headed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, also criticized the move and called Thursday's cabinet meeting "an opportunity for correction." Iran, Hezbollah's military and financial backer, said on Wednesday that any decision on disarmament "will ultimately rest with Hezbollah itself." "We support it from afar, but we do not intervene in its decisions," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi added, saying the group had "rebuilt itself" after the war with Israel. Two ministers affiliated with Hezbollah and the Amal Movement walked out of Tuesday's meeting on disarmament in protest. The two other ministers did not attend the session since they were abroad. Hezbollah described the walkout as a rejection of the government's "decision to subject Lebanon to American tutelage and Israeli occupation." Referring to Thursday's cabinet session, State Minister for Administrative Development Fadi Makki, a Shiite who is close to Salam, said Thursday that he "will not bear the approval of crucial decisions of this magnitude without the presence of the Shiite ministers." "Without completing the political process and if the Amal and Hezbollah ministers do not attend today, the cabinet session will not serve the public interest," he cautioned. Citing "political sources" with knowledge of the matter, pro-Hezbollah newspaper al-Akhbar said the group and its Amal allies could choose to withdraw their four ministers from the government or trigger a no-confidence vote in parliament by the Shiite bloc, which comprises 27 of Lebanon's 128 lawmakers. Israel -- which routinely carries out air strikes in Lebanon despite the ceasefire, saying it is targeting Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure -- has already signaled it would not hesitate to launch destructive military operations if Beirut failed to disarm the group. Israeli strikes in south Lebanon killed two people on Wednesday, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Nahar Net
2 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Relatives of Israeli hostages set off on Gaza flotilla
by Naharnet Newsdesk 07 August 2025, 13:47 Relatives of Israeli hostages set sail on Thursday in a flotilla to approach the besieged Gaza Strip, according to an AFP journalist aboard one vessel, with organizers saying they hoped to "get as close as possible to their loved ones". More than 20 people boarded several boats that departed from the coastal city of Ashkelon carrying yellow flags and posters bearing the images of the hostages, as they shouted their names.
