Khamis Ayyad
WHAT HAPPENED
Khamis Ayyad, a 41-year-old U.S. citizen who had lived in the Chicago area before moving to the West Bank with his family, died of smoke inhalation on July 31, 2025, after Israeli settlers reportedly set fire to homes and cars in the village of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah, according to his family, witnesses, and the Palestinian Authority health ministry. Residents said Ayyad, a father of five, was trying to extinguish the fires when he was overcome by smoke. The U.S. State Department confirmed the death of a U.S. citizen in Silwad and said it condemned "criminal violence by any party in the West Bank"; the Israeli military said suspects had fled before troops arrived, and Israeli police opened an investigation into the arson.
TESTIMONY
“No retaliation from the Palestinian people, except to come out and try to put the fire out.” — Mahmoud Issa, Khamis’s cousin
SOURCES
DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR
This case is documented, public, and unanswered. Send it to the people who represent you — the record only matters if someone is made to answer for it.