Remembering the Dawabsheh family and the systemic violence against Palestinians

Today, we pause in reflection on the anniversary of the brutal arson attack in Duma that killed the Dawabsheh family – baby Ali, aged just 18 months, and his parents, Riham and Saad – in July 2015.

On July 31, 2015, a group of Israeli settlers stormed the Palestinian village of Douma, located near Nablus and situated near hardliner Israeli settlements/settler outposts. Having planned their attack from inside a stolen Palestinian home, the group, allegedly belonging to a religious settler party called Hamered, committed two arson attacks inside the village.

The first arson attack accidentally targeted an empty home, the second was against the Dawabsheh family’s home. Armed settlers barricaded the house – so as to not let anyone escape – and then firebombed it, throwing Molotov cocktails through its windows. Inside were 18-month-old Ali and 6-year-old Ahmad, along with their parents, Reham and Sa’ad.

Ali Dawabsheh was burnt to death inside his baby cot, while both his parents died of their wounds. Only little Ahmad managed to survive miraculously, but not without third-degree burns to 70% of his body. (Read more here).

This harrowing act of settler violence sent shockwaves around the world at the time. As expected, Israel first denied the attack, then claimed that the accusations were anti-semitic, only to later acknowledge this mass murder as a hate crime perpetrated by Israeli settlers.

The attack was a chilling reminder of the unchecked brutality some Palestinian civilians endure. But it was not a one-off event, nor “out-of-the-ordinary”.

Anti-Palestinian attacks in the West Bank

Violence in the West Bank has surged in recent months, with multiple high-profile incidents exposing the bleak reality for Palestinians. This is against the backdrop of brutal, genocidal attacks on Gaza since October 2023. As the world’s attention is on Gaza, Israeli settlers seemed to believe they would have a free hand in taking over Palestinian land, homes and villages

In late May, Israeli settlers torched homes and cars in Bruqin, reportedly beating residents in the rampage. Around the same time, soldiers killed three Palestinians within 24 hours, coinciding with a spike in settler aggression in the area that saw settlers burn vast swaths of Palestinian farmland. Earlier in June, settlers set fire to homes in Al‑Mughayyir – families had to flee their properties, while police and soldiers stood by.

Al‑Jazeera reported that unarmed brothers Nidal and Khaled Umairah were shot dead in Nablus during a military raid, even as they raised their hands in surrender. In Qalqilya, another village under siege, settlers wrought arson and vandalism – within a single week, over 28 incidents were recorded, displacing more than 11,000 Palestinians, while Israeli forces conducted simultaneous operations in Jenin and Tulkarm, displacing 40,000 more.

This violence continues a long-standing pattern vividly documented by Louis Theroux in his recent documentary “The Settlers”, which brings to life the ideology driving extremist settlers and their expanding footprint in the West Bank. Through personal stories and raw footage, Theroux reveals how state-sanctioned impunity emboldens violence, turning the occupation into a daily nightmare for Palestinian communities.

The settler-led violence against Palestinians, supported directly or indirectly by Israeli forces, has been so bad that even Israel’s staunchest allies, including the UK and Australia, have imposed sanctions on sitting Israeli ministers.

Almost every day brings heartbreaking headlines: detainees killed during raids, homes vandalised or burned, fields destroyed, and entire communities terrorised. Each of these is yet another violation of fundamental human rights and an escalation that threatens any remaining hope for stability.

Video of Israeli settlers attacking an elementary school in Mu’arrajat, Jericho on September 16, 2024. These two settlers beat up the Palestinian woman who is recording the video, so viewer discretion is advised.

Children slain in Gaza: the ongoing bloodshed

Lest we forget, since October 2023, the Gaza Strip has been transformed into an unparalleled humanitarian disaster. UN experts have concluded that Israel’s attacks on civilians, particularly those sheltering in schools and religious sites, amount to the crime against humanity of “extermination”.

The scale of the tragedy is overwhelming. UNICEF estimates over 50,000 Gaza children killed or injured since the war began (as of May 2025), with staggering numbers of malnutrition, disease, trauma, and orphanhood among survivors.

These are not numbers on a page – they are shattered families, invisible children buried beneath rubble, hollow faces in overcrowded shelters.

What you can do

The anniversary of the Dawabsheh murders compels us to remember that the systemic violence unleashed against Palestinians spans settler arson attacks, military operations in the West Bank, and mass bombardment in Gaza – especially targeting the most vulnerable.

It is an unfolding catastrophe that demands immediate attention, accountability, and a renewed commitment to international moral responsibility.

• Amplify truth: Share verified news of recent West Bank raids and Gaza child deaths using sources like Al Jazeera, Palestine Chronicle, Middle East Eye and others.
• Pressure policymakers: Urge MPs to push the UK to impose sanctions on more individuals violating international law, and to cut trade with Israel.
• Support humanitarian relief: Support NGOs providing life-saving support in Gaza and West Bank, as well as supporting human rights organisations like B’tselem and Adalah.

• Demand justice: Call for full accountability for settler violence, military abuses, and attacks on children – through international courts and independent investigations.

Palestinian lives are being extinguished in plain sight.

We must not remain silent.