Latest news with #settlerattack
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
U.S. demands probe of Palestinian American's killing by Israeli settlers
Mourners cover the graves of Palestinian American Sayfollah Musallet, 20, and Mohammed al-Shalabi with soil during their funeral in the West Bank village of Al-Mazraa al-Sharqiya on Sunday, July 13, 2025. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Musallet was killed in an attack by Israeli settlers and al-Shalabi was shot in the chest. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) WASHINGTON -- U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on Tuesday he had asked Israel to 'aggressively investigate' the killing of a Palestinian American who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, describing it as a 'criminal and terrorist act.' The comments by Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israeli settlement construction, mark a rare and pointed public intervention by the U.S. following the death of a Palestinian American in the Israeli-occupied territory. 'I have asked (Israel) to aggressively investigate the murder of Saif Musallet, an American citizen who was visiting family in Sinjil when he was beaten to death,' Huckabee wrote on X, referring to a town north of Ramallah. Musallet, 20, whose full first name is Sayafollah, was severely beaten in the incident on Friday evening. His family, who are from Florida, say that medics failed to reach him for hours and that he died before reaching the hospital. Israel's military has said it is probing the incident. It says confrontations between Palestinians and settlers broke out after Palestinians threw rocks at Israelis, lightly injuring them. It says its forces used non-lethal weapons to disperse the parties. Reuters has not been able to corroborate either side's account. Settler attacks on Palestinians and Palestinian attacks on Israelis in the West Bank have risen since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023, though violence has long simmered in the territory. Israeli killings of U.S. citizens in the West Bank in recent years include those of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Palestinian American teenager Omar Mohammad Rabea and Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi. Palestinians have also killed or injured Israeli American dual nationals in the West Bank in recent years. In March 2023, Israeli American Elan Ganeles, then 27, was shot dead in his car on a highway in the West Bank's Jordan Valley. The United Nations' highest court said last year that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, and settlements there were illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible. Israel disputes this, citing security needs as well as historical and biblical ties to the land, which it captured in the 1967 Middle East war. The West Bank is among the territories Palestinians seek for an independent state. U.S. President Donald Trump in January rescinded sanctions imposed by the former Biden administration on Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of being involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. By Jasper Ward (Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Rami Ayyub, Rod Nickel and Daniel Wallis)
Free Malaysia Today
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Family of US-Palestinian killed in West Bank want state department probe
Saif al-Din Kamil Abdul Karim Musalat died in Sinjil, a village north of Ramallah. (AP pic) RAMALLAH : A US-Palestinian man has been killed in an Israeli settler attack in the occupied West Bank, his family said today, demanding that Washington launch a probe into his death. Saif al-Din Kamil Abdul Karim Musalat was beaten to death on Friday in Sinjil, a village north of Ramallah, the Palestinian health ministry said. Musalat, born and based in Florida, travelled to the West Bank last month to spend time with relatives, his family said in a statement issued by lawyer Diana Halum following the deadly attack. The Palestinian health ministry said a second man, Mohammed Rizq Hussein al-Shalabi, 23, died after being shot during the attack and 'left to bleed for hours'. Israel's military said violence flared after Palestinians threw rocks at a group of Israelis, lightly injuring two, the latest in a spate of clashes involving settlers in the West Bank. Musalat's family said they were 'devastated' at his death, describing the 20-year-old as a 'kind, hard-working and deeply respected' man who was deeply connected to his Palestinian heritage. They said he was 'protecting his family's land from settlers who were attempting to steal it'. According to the family's statement, settlers blocked an ambulance and paramedics from reaching Musalat as he lay injured, and he died before making it to hospital. His death was 'an unimaginable nightmare and in justice that no family should ever have to face', they added. 'We demand the US state department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes. We demand justice.' Rights groups have denounced a rise in violence committed by settlers in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. The UN has said that such attacks against Palestinians are taking place in a climate of 'impunity'. Last week, AFP journalists witnessed clashes between dozens of Israeli settlers and Palestinians in Sinjil, where a march against settler attacks on nearby farmland had been due to take place. Israeli authorities recently erected a high fence cutting off parts of Sinjil from Road 60, which runs through the West Bank from north to south. Violence in the territory has surged since the October 2023 attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas triggered war in the Gaza Strip. Since then, Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank have killed at least 955 Palestinians – many of them rebels, but also scores of civilians – according to Palestinian health ministry figures. At least 36 Israelis, including both troops and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to Israeli official figures.
The National
14-07-2025
- The National
'So much hatred in their hearts': Family of US-born Palestinian killed by Israeli settlers tell of pain
Mourners gathered in the town of Turmus Aya in the occupied West Bank to receive the body of Sayafollah Musallat, a Palestinian-American man who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in a violent attack near the town of Sinjil, north-east of Ramallah. Mr Musallat, originally from Tampa, Florida, had travelled to the West Bank to visit family and help protect their land from increasing settler incursions. He is the latest Palestinian-American to be killed in the territory, only weeks after the death of an American teenager left the community reeling. At his family home, dozens of women lined the driveway early in the day, awaiting the arrival of the body. As the morning progressed, men gathered outside under the blazing sun, offering condolences. An ambulance arrived playing verses from the Quran, and when Mr Musallat's body was finally brought out, mourners erupted in religious and political chants. The presence of many American voices in the crowd was striking. Friends and relatives had flown in from Tampa, where Mr Musallat was born and raised. Among the mourners was a teenage boy who wept continuously, from the family home to the local cemetery. After a mass prayer held at a nearby school, the boy was heard crying into a friend's shoulder, whispering, 'I can't breathe.' Kamal Abdel Jalil Al Hijaz, a senior member of the Musallat family, stood outside the house, welcoming mourners. Dressed in a traditional keffiyeh and leaning on a walking stick, he directed younger relatives to fetch water for the guests. 'The whole town feels the pain,' he said, his voice breaking. 'I'm crying in front of you so that God hears us.' He recalled that Mr Musallat had gone with a group of people, many of them US passport holders, to prevent settlers from encroaching on Palestinian land. 'They thought the American passport might offer some protection,' he said. 'But they attacked him. Now he's a martyr.' Jama'a Hijaz, 23, a close friend of Mr Musallat from Tampa, spoke of their years growing up together. 'We used to hang out every day. He loved going to the shooting range. He ran an ice cream shop, and that's where we'd always meet – he couldn't leave because he worked so hard.' Mr Hijaz described his friend as devout, kind, and committed to his faith. 'He never missed a prayer. He was on the right path.' He said the attack happened after Friday prayers, when news spread that settlers were targeting nearby land. 'At first they said someone died. Then they said no. Then they said Saif was passing out. I texted him to ask if he was OK. Everyone said he was fine. Two hours later, we found out he died on the way to the hospital.' According to Mr Hijaz, Mr Musallat was left injured in the sun for three hours before help arrived. Another man, Hussein Al Shalabi, was also killed – first beaten, then shot by the settlers as they left. Others were reportedly tied up and had their limbs broken. 'The settlers have so much hatred in their hearts,' Mr Hijaz said. 'Humans don't do this. They have compassion. They get scared when they see a dead body. I don't know what we're dealing with – these are evil people.' He added that the shock of Mr Musallat's death reached far beyond the West Bank. 'Everyone I know in the US is devastated. A friend of mine from high school met Saif only once – he still cried when he heard the news. That's the kind of person Saif was.' 'I'm still in shock. I didn't believe it until I saw the picture,' Hijaz said. 'But we're going to keep coming back. This is our land. This is our home. Saif died for it.'
The National
13-07-2025
- The National
Tributes paid to Palestinian-American killed by Israeli settlers in West Bank
Mourners gathered in the town of Turmus Aya in the occupied West Bank to receive the body of Sayafollah Musallat, a Palestinian-American man who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in a violent attack near the town of Sinjil, north-east of Ramallah. Mr Musallat, originally from Tampa, Florida, had travelled to the West Bank to visit family and help protect their land from increasing settler incursions. He is the latest Palestinian-American to be killed in the territory, only weeks after the death of an American teenager left the community reeling. At his family home, dozens of women lined the driveway early in the day, awaiting the arrival of the body. As the morning progressed, men gathered outside under the blazing sun, offering condolences. An ambulance arrived playing verses from the Quran, and when Mr Musallat's body was finally brought out, mourners erupted in religious and political chants. The presence of many American voices in the crowd was striking. Friends and relatives had flown in from Tampa, where Mr Musallat was born and raised. Among the mourners was a teenage boy who wept continuously, from the family home to the local cemetery. After a mass prayer held at a nearby school, the boy was heard crying into a friend's shoulder, whispering, 'I can't breathe.' Kamal Abdel Jalil Al Hijaz, a senior member of the Musallat family, stood outside the house, welcoming mourners. Dressed in a traditional keffiyeh and leaning on a walking stick, he directed younger relatives to fetch water for the guests. 'The whole town feels the pain,' he said, his voice breaking. 'I'm crying in front of you so that God hears us.' He recalled that Mr Musallat had gone with a group of people, many of them US passport holders, to prevent settlers from encroaching on Palestinian land. 'They thought the American passport might offer some protection,' he said. 'But they attacked him. Now he's a martyr.' Jama'a Hijaz, 23, a close friend of Mr Musallat from Tampa, spoke of their years growing up together. 'We used to hang out every day. He loved going to the shooting range. He ran an ice cream shop, and that's where we'd always meet – he couldn't leave because he worked so hard.' Mr Hijaz described his friend as devout, kind, and committed to his faith. 'He never missed a prayer. He was on the right path.' He said the attack happened after Friday prayers, when news spread that settlers were targeting nearby land. 'At first they said someone died. Then they said no. Then they said Saif was passing out. I texted him to ask if he was OK. Everyone said he was fine. Two hours later, we found out he died on the way to the hospital.' According to Mr Hijaz, Mr Musallat was left injured in the sun for three hours before help arrived. Another man, Hussein Al Shalabi, was also killed – first beaten, then shot by the settlers as they left. Others were reportedly tied up and had their limbs broken. 'The settlers have so much hatred in their hearts,' Mr Hijaz said. 'Humans don't do this. They have compassion. They get scared when they see a dead body. I don't know what we're dealing with – these are evil people.' He added that the shock of Mr Musallat's death reached far beyond the West Bank. 'Everyone I know in the US is devastated. A friend of mine from high school met Saif only once – he still cried when he heard the news. That's the kind of person Saif was.' 'I'm still in shock. I didn't believe it until I saw the picture,' Hijaz said. 'But we're going to keep coming back. This is our land. This is our home. Saif died for it.'
Al Arabiya
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Family of American man killed in West Bank settler attack seeks US probe into his death
The family of a US-Palestinian man who was killed in an Israeli settler attack in the occupied West Bank, demanded on Saturday that the US probes his death. Saif al-Din Kamil Abdul Karim Musalat was beaten to death on Friday in Sinjil, a village north of Ramallah, the Palestinian health ministry said. Musalat, born and based in Florida, traveled to the West Bank last month to spend time with relatives, his family said in a statement issued by lawyer Diana Halum following the deadly attack. The Palestinian health ministry said a second man, Mohammed Rizq Hussein al-Shalabi, 23, died after being shot during the attack and 'left to bleed for hours.' Israel's military said violence flared after Palestinians threw rocks at a group of Israelis, lightly injuring two, the latest in a spate of clashes involving settlers in the West Bank. Musalat's family said they were 'devastated' at his death, describing the 20-year-old as a 'kind, hard-working and deeply respected" man who was deeply connected to his Palestinian heritage. They said he was 'protecting his family's land from settlers who were attempting to steal it.' According to the family's statement, settlers blocked an ambulance and paramedics from reaching Musalat as he lay injured, and he died before making it to hospital. His death was 'an unimaginable nightmare and in justice that no family should ever have to face,' they added. 'We demand the US State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes. We demand justice.' The US State Department on Saturday confirmed to AFP that an American citizen had died in the West Bank and offered its 'sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones on their loss.' The department 'has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas,' a spokesperson said, referring 'questions on any investigation to the Government of Israel.' Rights groups have denounced a rise in violence committed by settlers in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. The United Nations has said that such attacks against Palestinians are taking place in a climate of 'impunity.' Last week, AFP journalists witnessed clashes between dozens of Israeli settlers and Palestinians in Sinjil, where a march against settler attacks on nearby farmland had been due to take place. Israeli authorities recently erected a high fence cutting off parts of Sinjil from Road 60, which runs through the West Bank from north to south. Violence in the territory has surged since the October 2023 attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas triggered war in the Gaza Strip. Since then, Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank have killed at least 955 Palestinians -- many of them militants, but also scores of civilians -- according to Palestinian health ministry figures. At least 36 Israelis, including both troops and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to Israeli official figures.
