A 20-year-old Palestinian-American, Sayafollah “Saif” Musallet, died after being beaten by Israeli settlers during overnight clashes in this hilltop town north of Ramallah, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Saturday. A second man, Hussein al-Shalabi, 23, was fatally shot in the chest.
Musallet’s family in Tampa, Florida, said medics were blocked from reaching him for three hours. “We demand the U.S. State Department launch an immediate investigation and hold the settlers accountable,” the family said in a statement.
A State Department spokesperson acknowledged awareness of the incident but declined further comment, citing the family’s privacy.
The Israeli military said it was investigating. According to its initial account, violence erupted after Palestinians threw stones at Israelis, lightly injuring several. Troops deployed to the scene and used “non-lethal means” to disperse both sides, the army said.
Rights groups say settler attacks have surged since the Gaza war began in late 2023. Israeli raids across the West Bank have also intensified, while dozens of Israelis have been killed in Palestinian street attacks.
Musallet is the latest U.S. citizen to die in West Bank violence in recent years, following journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, teenager Omar Mohammad Rabea and activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi. The International Court of Justice last year declared Israel’s occupation and settlements illegal; Israel disputes the ruling, citing historic and biblical claims to territory captured in 1967.
