US aware of report American killed in West Bank settler attack

The US State Department said on Friday it was aware of the reported death of a US citizen in the Israeli-occupied West Bank after reports emerged of Israeli settlers fatally beating a Palestinian American.

Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing the local health ministry, said Saif Al Din Kamel Abdul Karim Musallat, in his 20s, died after he was beaten by Israeli settlers on Friday evening in an attack that injured 10 others in a town north of Ramallah.

A second person was also found dead in the area, a Palestinian medical source said. There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Relatives of Musallat, who was from Tampa, Florida, were quoted by the Washington Post as saying he was beaten to death by Israeli settlers.

"We are aware of reports of the death of a US citizen in the West Bank," a State Department spokesperson said, adding the department had no further comment "out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones" of the reported victim.

The Israeli military said Israel was probing the incident in the town of Sinjil. It said confrontations between Palestinians and settlers broke out after Palestinians threw rocks at Israelis, lightly injuring them.

The military said forces were dispatched to the scene and used non-lethal weapons to disperse the crowds.

Settler violence in the West Bank has risen since the start of Israel's war against the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza in late 2023, according to rights groups.

Dozens of Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian street attacks in recent years and the Israeli military has intensified raids across the West Bank.

Israeli killings of US 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.

The United Nations' highest court said last year 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occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, and settlements there were illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible.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 historical and biblical ties to the land, which it captured in the 1967 Middle East war. The West Bank is among the territories that Palestinians seek for an independent state.

Reuters