Unanswered questions remain on anniversary Dawabsheh family arson attack

Difficult questions remain unanswered a year after the deadly arson attack that killed all but one of the Dawabsheh  family.

Five-year-old Ahmed Dawabsheh is the only survivor of the fire which burnt his family home in the occupied West Bank village of Duma, Nablus, and led to the death of his 18-month-old brother and his parents.

Extremist settlers are thought to be behind the arson attach which took place on 31 August 2015.

Ahmed suffered major burns over his body and head. He was officially discharged from hospital two weeks ago but will continue to receive treatment for up to eight years. It is as yet unclear how the events of that evening will affect him psychologically.

His uncle, Naser Dawabsheh told Quds Press yesterday: “The most difficult problem now is the return to the house when Ahmed could recall the family members and the moments when the fired struck his brother and burnt him before his bare eyes.”

When he returned to his home, Ahmed asked his uncle about the fate of his brother and asked about the location of his parents.

“‘Where are they?’ he asked, “why am I not with them?’”

Naser explained that Ahmed asks about the long term effects of the burns on his body. He said his family are providing Ahmed with the support her needs but “all of these are difficult questions and we face many difficulties answering them.”