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Jerusalem, 12 July 2025 – Two Palestinians were killed in an attack by Israeli settlers in the town of Sinjil in the occupied West Bank on Friday evening, according to the Palestinian health ministry.Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old dual US citizen from Florida, was beaten to death, while Mohammed al-Shalabi, 23, died after being shot in the chest, the ministry said. The incident occurred in the north of the West Bank, where violence between settlers and Palestinians has escalated since the onset of the war in Gaza. The Israeli military reported that stones were thrown at Israeli civilians near Sinjil, leading to a "violent confrontation" involving vandalism, arson, physical clashes, and rock-throwing. Two Israelis were lightly injured, and the military said it was investigating reports of one Palestinian death, with the second incident under review. Musallet, a businessman from Tampa, had travelled to the West Bank on 4 June to visit family. His relatives said he was "brutally beaten" by settlers while defending his family’s land. They claimed settlers blocked paramedics from reaching him for over three hours, preventing life-saving aid. Musallet died before reaching a hospital. The family has called for a US State Department investigation to hold those responsible accountable. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that al-Shalabi, from al-Mazraa al-Sharqiya near Sinjil, was shot in the chest during the same attack and left bleeding for hours before paramedics could assist. Ten other Palestinians were reportedly injured in clashes with settlers armed with automatic rifles. The US State Department confirmed it was aware of a US citizen’s death in the West Bank but declined further comment, citing privacy concerns. The US embassy in Jerusalem condemned recent settler violence against the Christian town of Taybeh, where Palestinian-Americans own much of the land. On Monday, settlers set fields ablaze near a fifth-century church in Taybeh, prompting local priests to call for international action. The West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, is home to about 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews, alongside 3.3 million Palestinians. The settlements are deemed illegal under international law, a stance Israel disputes. Since the Gaza war began, settler violence has surged, with the UN reporting at least 910 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, 13 by settlers, and seven by either forces or settlers. At least 44 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank over the same period. On Thursday, a 22-year-old Israeli security guard, Shalev Zvuluny, was killed by two Palestinian attackers in a shooting and stabbing attempt at a shopping centre in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc. The attackers were killed by soldiers and armed civilians. The ongoing violence underscores the deepening tensions in the region, with no immediate resolution in sight.
