U.S. citizen dies following Israeli settler arson attacks in the West Bank

Miami Herald

3 days ago

A U.S. citizen died in the West Bank on Thursday morning, the U.S. State Department confirmed to the Miami Herald.
According to his family, Khamis Abdul Latif Ayyad, 41, died of smoke-related injuries, after Israeli settlers set fire to cars in his village in the middle of the night.
A U.S. State Department official confirmed Ayyad's death and citizenship in a statement to the Herald, but did not provide information about his cause of death.
'We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the town of Silwad in the West Bank. We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them. We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank,' a State Department spokesperson said.
Ayyad is the second known U.S. citizen to die this month in the West Bank, as residents tell reporters that the assaults from Israeli settlers have become nearly a daily occurrence.
Just one town over from Silwad, 20-year-old Florida-born Sayfollah 'Saif' Musallet was beaten to death on Jul. 11 by Israeli settlers, who also shot and killed a second man. Musallet's death sparked outrage among Americans and Muslim groups in Florida who called for an investigation from the DeSantis administration and the Department of Justice.
Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, wrote on X on July 15 that he asked Israel to 'aggressively investigate' Musallet's death.
'There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act,' he wrote. 'Saif was just 20 yrs old.'
The Herald reached out to Huckabee but has yet to receive a response about Ayyad's death. A national Muslim advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called for an investigation on Friday.
Ayyad grew up in Silwad, a small village in the West Bank, but moved to the United States in 2008 with his wife, also a U.S. citizen, and settled in Chicago. Together they raised four sons and one daughter, ages 6 to 15. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he moved back to the West Bank, and continued working remotely for an IT company, according to his brother, Ayman Ayyad.
The Herald reached out to Palestinian and Israeli officials, including the Israeli Defense Forces, but has yet to receive a response.
Around 2:30 a.m. Thursday morning Khamis Ayyad called his brother, Ayman Ayyad, who didn't pick up. Ayman Ayyad received a call around 4 a.m. from another brother who informed him that Khamis Ayyad had been transferred to a nearby hospital in Ramallah. He arrived to find that his brother had died.
Khamis Ayyad had rushed to his brother's aid after settlers set fire to a car under the family house, Ayman Ayyad said. He died from smoke inhalation, according to his family and a Palestinian news agency.
The family said the fire was started by Israeli settlers who came into Silwad, a village in the central West Bank near several Israeli settlements, in the middle of the night and set cars and homes ablaze.
A funeral took place on Friday, and relatives are waiting for an autopsy to determine his official cause of death.
The family has strong ties in the United States. Khamis Ayyad is one of nine children – seven of whom are U.S. citizens, according to his brother Ayman Ayyad, who live in Chicago and Philadelphia. They have cousins in Tampa, Fla.
Ayman Ayyad described his brother as a family man. Whenever he wasn't working, he was with his wife and children. He was well-liked in his community, and focused on his family and building his career.
'He was loved by everyone,' he said. 'He caused no problems at all.'
Ayman Ayyad had little to say to U.S. officials. He said that the 'whole world' already knows about the attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
'What, is it something people can't see? The whole world already sees it,' he said.
This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.