Latest news with #Musalat
France 24
7 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Anger in West Bank village at funeral of two young men
The village, perched atop limestone hills, is known for its colonnaded villas and manicured gardens -- and its few thousand residents who mostly come from the Palestinian diaspora in North America. Musalat, 20, was one of them. Born and raised in Florida, he ran an ice cream parlour in Tampa, arriving in the Palestinian territory just a few weeks ago with a plan to spend the summer with his mother and siblings. But on Friday, he was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in nearby Sinjil, the Palestinian health ministry said, in the latest violence to hit the village north of Ramallah. Hundreds gathered on Sunday, chanting prayers and slogans at Musalat's funeral. Inside his family's upmarket home, women wept and screamed at the sight of the young man's lifeless body. On one of the walls, the young man looked from a poster -- his beard neatly groomed and against the backdrop of the Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem's Islamic sanctuary. Two teenagers embraced as tears ran down their faces. "It's awful," one of them sobbed. In recent months, the area has witnessed frequent attacks by Israeli settlers, sometimes backed by the Israeli army, local residents say. A few days before Musalat's death, the UN said that "attacks, harassment, and intimidation by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have become a daily reality". 'Dehumanisation' Musalat's family said he was killed on farmland owned by them. Israeli settlers beat him brutally, they claimed, leaving him to die for over three hours and preventing a medical team from reaching him. The Israeli army confirmed that "violent clashes" occurred Friday "between Palestinians and Israeli civilians, along with acts of vandalism against Palestinian property" in the area, and said an investigation had been launched. The victim's father told reporters after the funeral: "We demand justice for these terrorist settlers. There's no doubt that they are terrorists. They're illegally on these lands -- they do not belong to them," said Kamil Hafez Musalat. "We demand the US government do something about it. They're always saying, you know, for justice, justice, justice. But as Palestinians, they dehumanise us," he added. Hafez Abdoul Jabar, also a dual national, said he had been waiting for help from the US Embassy for weeks. "We need protection," he told the crowd, adding that it has become nearly impossible for residents of the area to access their land without risking their lives. Jabar is also a bereaved father: his son was killed in January 2024 under unclear circumstances involving settlers and the Israeli military, his family reported. Anger In the village schoolyard, hundreds of men gathered to recite mourning prayers for Musalat and Mohammed al-Shalabi, 23, who also died on Friday after being shot during the attack and "left to bleed for hours", according to the Palestinian health ministry. "We are people trying to live in peace. We try to protect our land. We have nothing against the world or against Israelis -- we are just trying to preserve our land," said his uncle, Samer al-Shalabi, calling the attacks "barbaric and savage". "We will pursue justice as far as we can -- but what good is the law if the judge is our enemy?" Violence in the Palestinian territory has surged since the start of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, after the Palestinian militants' attack on October 7, 2023. At least 955 Palestinians -- both militants and civilians -- have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers, according to an AFP tally based on data from the Palestinian Authority. At the same time, at least 36 Israelis, including both civilians and members of security forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the West Bank, according to official Israeli data.
Int'l Business Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Anger In West Bank Village At Funeral Of Two Young Men
Palestinian-American Saif al-Din Abdul Karim Musalat's body -- draped in a flag and covered with a yellow and orange wreath -- was carried through the crowded streets of Al-Mazra'ah ash-Sharqiyah in the occupied West Bank on Sunday. The village, perched atop limestone hills, is known for its colonnaded villas and manicured gardens -- and its few thousand residents who mostly come from the Palestinian diaspora in North America. Musalat, 20, was one of them. Born and raised in Florida, he ran an ice cream parlour in Tampa, arriving in the Palestinian territory just a few weeks ago with a plan to spend the summer with his mother and siblings. But on Friday, he was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in nearby Sinjil, the Palestinian health ministry said, in the latest violence to hit the village north of Ramallah. Hundreds gathered on Sunday, chanting prayers and slogans at Musalat's funeral. Inside his family's upmarket home, women wept and screamed at the sight of the young man's lifeless body. On one of the walls, the young man looked from a poster -- his beard neatly groomed and against the backdrop of the Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem's Islamic sanctuary. Two teenagers embraced as tears ran down their faces. "It's awful," one of them sobbed. In recent months, the area has witnessed frequent attacks by Israeli settlers, sometimes backed by the Israeli army, local residents say. A few days before Musalat's death, the UN said that "attacks, harassment, and intimidation by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have become a daily reality". Musalat's family said he was killed on farmland owned by them. Israeli settlers beat him brutally, they claimed, leaving him to die for over three hours and preventing a medical team from reaching him. The Israeli army confirmed that "violent clashes" occurred Friday "between Palestinians and Israeli civilians, along with acts of vandalism against Palestinian property" in the area, and said an investigation had been launched. The victim's father told reporters after the funeral: "We demand justice for these terrorist settlers. There's no doubt that they are terrorists. They're illegally on these lands -- they do not belong to them," said Kamil Hafez Musalat. "We demand the US government do something about it. They're always saying, you know, for justice, justice, justice. But as Palestinians, they dehumanise us," he added. Hafez Abdoul Jabar, also a dual national, said he had been waiting for help from the US Embassy for weeks. "We need protection," he told the crowd, adding that it has become nearly impossible for residents of the area to access their land without risking their lives. Jabar is also a bereaved father: his son was killed in January 2024 under unclear circumstances involving settlers and the Israeli military, his family reported. In the village schoolyard, hundreds of men gathered to recite mourning prayers for Musalat and Mohammed al-Shalabi, 23, who also died on Friday after being shot during the attack and "left to bleed for hours", according to the Palestinian health ministry. "We are people trying to live in peace. We try to protect our land. We have nothing against the world or against Israelis -- we are just trying to preserve our land," said his uncle, Samer al-Shalabi, calling the attacks "barbaric and savage". "We will pursue justice as far as we can -- but what good is the law if the judge is our enemy?" Violence in the Palestinian territory has surged since the start of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, after the Palestinian militants' attack on October 7, 2023. At least 955 Palestinians -- both militants and civilians -- have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers, according to an AFP tally based on data from the Palestinian Authority. At the same time, at least 36 Israelis, including both civilians and members of security forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the West Bank, according to official Israeli data. Hundreds of people turned out in the village of Al-Mazra'ah ash Sharqïyah in the occupied West Bank as they were buried on Sunday AFP
Middle East Eye
7 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Family seeks US probe after Palestinian-American killed in West Bank
A 20-year-old Palestinian-American man has been killed in an Israeli settler attack in the occupied West Bank, his family said on Saturday, 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's family said his death was "an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should ever have to face." "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."
New Straits Times
13-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
US-Palestinian man beaten to death by Israeli settlers in West Bank, family demands justice
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: A US-Palestinian man has been killed in an Israeli settler attack in the occupied West Bank, his family said on Saturday, 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." 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 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 fighters, 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.--AFP
Politico
13-07-2025
- Health
- Politico
59 Palestinians in Gaza are killed by Israeli airstrikes or shot dead while seeking aid
Mohammed Jamal al-Sahloo, another witness, said Israel's military had ordered them to proceed to the site when the shooting started. Sumaya al-Sha'er's 17-year-old son, Nasir, was killed, hospital officials said. 'He said to me, 'Mom, you don't have flour and today I'll go and bring you flour, even if I die, I'll go and get it,'' she said. 'But he never came back home.' Until then, she said, she had prevented the teenager from going to GHF sites because she thought it was too dangerous. Witnesses, health officials and U.N. officials say hundreds have been killed by Israeli fire while heading toward GHF distribution points through military zones off limits to independent media. The military has acknowledged firing warning shots at Palestinians who it says approached its forces in a suspicious manner. The GHF denies there has been violence in or around its sites. But two of its contractors told The Associated Press that their colleagues have fired live ammunition and stun grenades as Palestinians scramble for food, allegations the foundation denied. In a separate effort, the U.N. and aid groups say they struggle to distribute humanitarian aid because of Israeli military restrictions and a breakdown of law and order that has led to widespread looting. The first fuel — 150,000 liters — entered Gaza this week after 130 days, a joint statement by U.N. aid bodies said, calling it a small amount for the 'the backbone of survival in Gaza.' Fuel runs hospitals, water systems, transport and more, the statement said. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people in their Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war and abducted 251. Hamas still holds some 50 hostages, with at least 20 believed to remain alive. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 57,800 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, under Gaza's Hamas-run government, doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The U.N. and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties. A Palestinian-American killed in the West Bank Friends and relatives paid their respects a day after Palestinian-American Seifeddin Musalat and local friend Mohammed al-Shalabi were killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Musalat was beaten to death by Israeli settlers on his family's land, his cousin Diana Halum told reporters. The settlers then blocked paramedics from reaching him, she said. Musalat, born in Florida, was visiting his family home. His family wants the U.S. State Department to investigate his death and hold the settlers accountable. The State Department said it was aware of the reports of his death but had no comment out of respect for the family. A witness, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid Israeli retaliation, said the settlers descended on Palestinian lands and 'started shooting at us, beating by sticks and throwing rocks.' Israel's military has said Palestinians hurled rocks at Israelis in the area earlier on Friday, lightly wounding two people and setting off a larger confrontation. Palestinians and rights groups have long accused the military of ignoring settler violence, which has spiked — along with Palestinian attacks and Israeli military raids — since the war in Gaza began.
