Father of Palestinian child killed in arson attack dies of his injuries

reporting from Jerusalem —  A week after Palestinian toddler Ali Dawabshe was killed in an arson attack attributed to Jewish extremists, his father, Saad, succumbed to critical injuries and died of his burns Saturday.

He was buried in the West Bank village of Duma before hundreds of mourners, many of them waving Palestinian flags.

The Dawabshe family was sleeping when their house in Duma was torched in a predawn attack. Eighteen-month-old Ali perished in the fire, which critically injured his parents and 4-year-old brother.

Saad Dawabshe was taken to the Israeli hospital Soroka with third-degree burns to more than 80% of his body. Dr. Motti Klein, head of the hospital’s intensive care unit, told Israeli media Saturday that despite four operations, Saad ultimately succumbed to an infection common to burn injuries. He was 30.

The mother, Riham, and 4-year-old Ahmad survived the attack but remain hospitalized in Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv. Doctors report improvement in the child’s condition, but his mother remains critical.

“It is very painful,” said Nasser Dawabshe, Saad’s brother. “Little Ali died just last week, now his father,” he said, urging Israel to arrest the perpetrators and put them on trial.

Among those offering condolences to the surviving family members Saturday were Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process Nikolay Mladenov.

No suspects have been apprehended in connection to the attack.