US Citizen Beaten To Death By Israeli Settlers In West Bank While Visiting Family
Sayfollah "Saif" Musallet, a 20-year-old Palestinian-American from Florida, was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the West Bank while defending his family's land.
A 20-year-old Palestinian-American man was beaten to death allegedly by Israeli settlers while visiting family in the occupied West Bank, according to his family.
The deceased, identified as Sayfollah 'Saif" Musallet, a resident of Florida, was brutally attacked by Israeli settlers near his family's farm in the town of al-Mazra'a ash-Sharqiya, north of Ramallah, the family said in a statement on social media and confirmed to NBC News.
Musallet had travelled from his home in Florida to visit family in Palestine, his cousin Fatmah Muhammad said in a social media post.
His family said that a group of Israeli settlers assaulted Musallet while he was defending his land, and then blocked ambulances from reaching him for three hours. He died from his injuries before he could reach the hospital.
'I was the first one to reach Saif," said Mohammed Nael Hijaz, a 22-year-old friend of the victim. 'He was not moving when I got there and he could barely breathe. There was time to save him," he told The Guardian.
Musallet had been visiting the West Bank since early June and had recently opened an ice cream business with his father in Tampa, family members told CNN. 'He was a very sweet guy, full of hopes and dreams," Hijaz added.
'We are devastated that our beloved Sayfollah Musallet (nicknamed Saif) was brutally beaten to death by Israeli settlers while he was protecting his family's land from settlers who were attempting to steal it. Saif was a brother and a son, just starting the prime of his life. He was a kind and hard-working and deeply respected young man. Saif built a successful business in Tampa and was known for his generosity, ambition and connection to his Palestinian heritage. We demand justice," the family said in a statement, urging the US State Department to hold those responsible accountable.
Another Palestinian, identified by the Health Ministry as Mohammed Shalabi, was fatally shot by settlers during the attack, Al Jazeera reported.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military acknowledged the confrontation and said it was 'aware of reports concerning a Palestinian civilian" killed in the incident, adding that the case is under review by the Israeli Security Agency and police.
Hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers live in developments built in Palestinian territories that are widely considered illegal by the international community. Since October 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, sparking the war in Gaza, violence perpetrated by settlers in the West Bank has surged, often aided or abetted by Israeli security forces.
(With inputs from agencies)
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First Published:
July 12, 2025, 23:30 IST
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