Israel is in shock. On July 30, Yishai Shlissel, an ultra-Orthodox extremist, burst into a gay pride parade in Jerusalem. Armed with a large knife, Shlissel indiscriminately stabbed six people in a rampage before eventually being stopped by the police. On Aug. 2, 16-year-old Shira Banki died from her wounds. Her attacker had been released from prison less than a month ago, having served a ten-year sentence for a similar act committed a decade ago, at a gay pride parade in Jerusalem.
While Israelis were recovering from that trauma, unknown assailants threw a Molotov cocktail into the home of a Palestinian family in Douma village in Samaria. Flames quickly enveloped the house, and the family members inside were unable to extricate themselves in time. Ali Dawabsha, one and a half years old, was burned to death. His parents and four-year-old brother are in critical condition. Doctors in Israeli hospitals are helping the Dawabsha family fight for their lives around the clock.