Just over a year ago, the Dawabsha family lost three other extended family member when suspected Jewish extremists carried out a firebombing in Duma, southeast of Nablus.
By ADAM RASGONUpdated: SEPTEMBER 7, 2016 01:42Mourners react as others bury the body of 18-month-old Palestinian Ali Dawabsha,(photo credit: AMMAR AWAD / REUTERS)
The family of Muhammad Dawabsha, a 29-year-old construction worker trapped beneath the debris of a collapsed parking garage in Tel Aviv, is hoping to hear positive news.Just over a year ago, the Dawabsha family lost three other extended family members when suspected Jewish extremists carried out a firebombing in Duma, southeast of Nablus.“We’ve been waiting here since yesterday, but I believe God can do great things,” Rafat Dawabsha, a cousin of Muhammad told The Jerusalem Post. “We are praying, supplicating, and hoping that we will see Muhammad very soon.”Rafat, who has been at the disaster site since 2P.M. yesterday, said the event of the past two days have deeply saddened him.“The situation is a total tragedy, it’s indescribable. Just today we saw a body removed from the rubble. It does not matter to me if the person is Arab, Jewish, Turkish, or anything else. Learning about the death of anyone is very painful,” he said.Rafat also thanked the Israeli authorities for their assistance. “They are updating us regularly and they even made a special area for me and my family members to sit,” he said. “They are helping everyone. I only have positive things to say about their work.”Moreover, Rafat asked people near the site to refrain from spreading rumors. “Every two minutes someone comes and tells me that Muhammad is alive and they saw him.But then the authorities do not confirm that,” he remarked. “I call on everyone to not spread inaccurate information.”Rafat said he wants everyone to pray on the missing construction worker’s behalf.“Please, pray and offer your supplications. What happens will happen.”