DaysofPal – The family of U.S. citizen Khamis Ayyad, who was killed in the occupied West Bank after a settler attack, is urging President Donald Trump’s administration to conduct a formal inquiry into his death.
Ayyad, 40, a father of five and former resident of Chicago, died on Thursday in the town of Silwad, near Ramallah, after settlers reportedly set fire to vehicles outside his home.
Family members say that when Ayyad went outside to extinguish the fire, Israeli soldiers confronted him and sprayed him with tear gas. According to the family, he died as a result of breathing in smoke and gas from the fire.
Second U.S. Citizen Killed in West Bank in July
His death follows the killing of another U.S. citizen, 20-year-old Sayfollah Musallet, who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers earlier in July in Sinjil, a nearby town. No arrests have been made in either case.
Standing beside Ayyad’s family on Friday, William Asfour of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Chicago condemned the killing as “murder.”
“We demand a full investigation from the Department of Justice,” he said. “An American citizen was killed. Where’s the accountability?”
Mahmoud Issa, Ayyad’s cousin, said the attack took place around dawn. “They torched the cars outside his house. He woke up to stop the fire, and the army came, firing gas. He died in front of his home.”
Growing Settler Violence and U.S. Silence
Settler attacks across the West Bank have intensified in recent months, especially since the launch of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023. Armed settlers, often accompanied by Israeli soldiers, have raided Palestinian communities, destroyed property, and attacked residents with near-total impunity. U.S. officials have described some of these attacks as acts of “terrorism.”
The Israeli occupation forces have also escalated their own operations in the West Bank, carrying out raids, demolishing homes, and displacing families. Last month, the Israeli Knesset approved a non-binding resolution to annex the West Bank, and two senior ministers have since declared the moment ripe to assert full Israeli sovereignty over the territory.
Illinois State Representative Abdelnasser Rashid described Ayyad’s death as part of a wider pattern of ‘settler colonial violence.’ He also urged the repeal of a state law that penalizes companies for boycotting Israel.
“This shameful state law helps shield Israel’s violence and brutality from accountability,” he said.
CAIR’s Asfour stressed that Ayyad’s killing was not an isolated event.
‘Another American was killed just weeks ago. How many more before the U.S. takes action to protect its citizens abroad? Settlers burn homes, soldiers back them up, and our government sends billions to fund all of this.”
There have been no arrests made more than 21 days after Musallet was killed. Since 2022, Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least ten Americans. There have been no criminal charges in any of these cases.
Meanwhile, 16-year-old American citizen Mohammed Ibrahim remains imprisoned by Israel without trial or contact with his family. He has been detained since February and is reportedly suffering from severe weight loss and a skin infection, according to relatives.
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