US citizen killed in West Bank settler attack
A Palestinian-American citizen was killed during an Israeli settler attack near the West Bank town of Sinjil, the US State Department confirmed Saturday, amid a sharp rise in settler-led violence across the occupied territory.
Seif al-Din Kamel Muslat, 23, died after being severely beaten by settlers. Another Palestinian, Mohammad Rizq Shalabi, also 23, was found dead hours later following the same raid. Dozens more were injured as settlers rampaged through the town late Friday.
'We are providing consular assistance to the family,' a State Department spokesperson told Ynet, declining to elaborate.
The killings come as the West Bank endures an unprecedented wave of settler violence since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 740 settler attacks resulting in casualties or damage were documented between January and June 2025—averaging four per day.
Armed settlers, often backed by Israeli soldiers, have displaced at least 635 Palestinians so far this year, targeting rural communities in Ramallah, Jericho, and the Jordan Valley. At least nine villages have been entirely emptied since January 2023.
In the latest incident, settlers reportedly used clubs and firearms, blocked roads, and set fire to property in Sinjil.
Human rights groups say Israel's far-right government has 'emboldened settler militias by distributing arms, shielding perpetrators from prosecution, and integrating some into formal security units.'
Since the Gaza war began, over 1000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in settler-related incidents.
Under international law, Israel's settlements and the forcible transfer of protected populations are considered illegal and may constitute war crimes. Critics say the violence is part of a broader strategy to depopulate Palestinian communities and expand Israeli control over the occupied territory.
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