Israeli raids target several areas across occupied West Bank
According to several Palestinian news platforms, Israeli forces stormed the town of Tuqu, southeast of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces also stormed the town of Halhul, north of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied territory. Meanwhile, videos published by local Palestinian platforms showed Israeli soldiers storming the village of Tayasir, east of Tubas.
State Department says it is aware of US citizen death in West Bank attack
We have been reporting on an Israeli settler attack on Friday in the occupied West Bank town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, in which two Palestinians were killed and several others injured. The US State Department confirmed on Friday it was aware of the death of Palestinian American, Seif al-Din Muslat, who was fatally beaten by Israeli settlers during that attack.
It declined to comment on the death of Musalat – who was from Tampa, Florida – “out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones”.
A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, Anas Abu el-Ezz, told the AFP news agency that 23-year-old Saif al-Din Kamil Abdul Karim Muslat “died after being severely beaten all over his body” by settlers in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah. Muslat had traveled from his home in Florida to visit family in Palestine, his cousin Fatmah Muhammad said in a social media post.
“The young man was injured and remained so for four hours. The army prevented us from reaching him and did not allow us to take him away,” said Abdul Samad Abdul Aziz, from the nearby village of al-Mazraa al-Sharqiya. “When we finally managed to reach him, he was taking his last breath.” AFP footage from Ramallah showed the young man’s body being carried through the streets draped in a Palestinian flag and flanked by about 100 mourners.
CAIR condemns ‘racist’ deadly attack by Israeli settlers in West Bank
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has condemned the killing of Palestinian American Seif al-Din Muslat by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah.
“We strongly condemn these racist Israeli settlers, backed and enabled by the Netanyahu government, for beating an American citizen to death in the occupied West Bank,” the US’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation said.
“This murder is only the latest killing of an American citizen by illegal Israeli settlers or soldiers. Every other murder of an American citizen has gone unpunished by the American government.”
It cited the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot by Israeli snipers in 2022 while covering an Israeli raid on Jenin refugee camp. Turkish American peace activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was also shot and killed as she protested against illegal settlements.
CAIR called on the Trump administration to “put America first” by holding Israel accountable for the latest murder of an American citizen.
