World

Mother of West Bank toddler killed in arson attack dies of wounds

Suspected Jewish attackers torched the home of Saad Dawabsheh in the West Bank village of Duma on July 31

Reuters September 07, 2015

Mohammed, the father of Saad Dawabsheh, a Palestinian man who was killed alongside his toddler when their house was firebombed by Jewish extremists on July 31, prays at the family’s burnt-out home in the West Bank village of Duma, the day after his son’s funeral. PHOTO: AFP

JERUSALEM: The mother of a Palestinian toddler killed in a July arson attack on a West Bank home died on Monday of burns, the third victim after her husband died last month.

Suspected Jewish attackers torched the home of Saad Dawabsheh in the West Bank village of Duma on July 31, killing his 18-month-old son, Ali. Saad died on August 9 and mother Riham, 27, on Monday.

"To my regret, she passed away after midnight," a spokesperson said. A second son was also hospitalised in serious condition.

Read: Palestinian toddler burned to death in 'settler' arson attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the attack as an act of terrorism and his security cabinet has ordered a crackdown on violent far-right Jewish groups in a similar vein to actions taken against Palestinian suspects.

The government has allowed harsher interrogations of suspected Jewish militants with methods once reserved for Palestinians and has also started detaining citizens suspected of political violence against Palestinians without trial.

Read: Father of arson attack Palestinian toddler dies of injuries: official

After the previous two family funerals, Palestinians rallied in their home village of Duma in the northern West Bank, calling on militant factions to take revenge.