Palestinian American beaten to death by Israeli settlers in West Bank, family says

A Palestinian American man from Florida, 20-year-old Sayfollah Musallet, was beaten to death by settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday, July 11, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Musallet’s family said in a statement that he was killed “in our family’s land by Israeli settlers who were attempting to steal it.”

Another man was reportedly shot to death during the same incident.

Israeli settlers surrounded Musallet for over three hours, and “blocked the ambulance and paramedics from providing life-saving aid,” his family said.

Once the group of Israeli settlers was cleared, Musallet’s family said, his younger brother rushed him to the ambulance, but he died before he could get the hospital.

In the statement, Musallet’s family members said he had traveled to Palestine on June 4 to spend time with loved ones. Known as “Saif,” Musallet was a “beloved member of the community,” and was known for his “generosity, ambition and connection to his Palestinian heritage,” his family said.

“This is an unimaginable nightmare and an injustice that no family should ever have to face,” Musallet’s family said. “We demand the U.S. State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes. We demand justice.”

A spokesperson for the State Department told Straight Arrow News they can confirm the death of a United States citizen in the West Bank from July 11, but added that “out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones, we have no further comment at this time.”

To NBC, the Israel Defense Forces said it’s “aware of reports regarding a Palestinian civilian killed and a number of injured Palestinians as a result of the confrontation.” The IDF said the confrontation is being investigated.

Increasing violence

There has been growing settler violence in the West Bank since Israel’s war with Hamas started on Oct. 7, 2023. Organizations, including the United Nations’ International Court of Justice, largely consider Israel’s settlement activity in the West Bank to be illegal. Although the Biden administration put sanctions on settlers accused of violence in the West Bank, U.S. President Donald Trump at the beginning of his second term rescinded them.

As of Saturday, July 12, there were no signs of a “breakthrough” in ceasefire talks in the Israel-Hamas war, despite two days of meetings between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Associated Press reported. At least 31 Palestinians were killed on their way to an aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to the AP. Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in Gaza as well — among them four children, Palestinian hospital officials and witnesses told the AP.

The 31 Palestinians were shot on their way to a distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is backed by the United States and Israel. Aid groups have said the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation “routinely” opens fire on Palestinians seeking aid. The GHF has denied these allegations.