2nd death in firebomb attack

JERUSALEM — A week after Palestinian toddler Ali Dawabshe was killed in an arson attack attributed to Jewish extremists, his father, Saad, died Saturday of complications from burns suffered in the fire.

He was buried in the West Bank village of Duma with hundreds of mourners in attendance.

The family was sleeping when their house in Duma was firebombed during the night. Eighteen-month-old Ali perished in the blaze, and his parents and 4-year-old brother were critically injured.

Saad Dawabshe was taken to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Israel, with third-degree burns over more than 80% of his body. Dr. Motti Klein told Israeli journalists Saturday that despite four operations, Saad, 30, ultimately succumbed to an infection common to burn injuries.

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

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

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

Netanyahu vowed that Israel would do everything possible to capture the assailants, saying, “We will not accept terrorism from any side.”

No suspects have been arrested.