Family of American killed in West Bank calls for US investigation
The family of Palestinian-American Seif al-Din Muslat, who was killed by Israeli settlers in Sinjil, has urged the US State Department to “lead an immediate investigation” to hold those responsible accountable.
“The mob of settlers blocked the ambulance and paramedics from providing life-saving aid,” the statement said, according to Israeli media outlet Haaretz. The family added that his younger brother carried him to the ambulance, but “Seif died before making it to the hospital.”
Muslat was born in Florida and had travelled to Sinjil in June to visit relatives. He was described as “kind, hard-working” and “known for his generosity, ambition, and connection to his Palestinian heritage”.
West Bank attacks add to mounting toll of violent Israeli settler pogroms
The number of Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank has skyrocketed since the start of the war on Gaza.
In the latest incident, an attack by armed Israeli settlers on Ramallah lasted several hours. Seif el-Din Muslat, a Palestinian American in his early twenties who was killed, was surrounded by settlers and attacked for three hours. Another Palestinian, Mohammed Shalabi, was chased, beaten and eventually shot. His body was found hours later.
At least 350 Palestinians have been injured by Israeli settlers since January 2025. The settlers are accompanied by Israeli soldiers, who detain Palestinians trying to defend themselves or their homes from the attacks, and that is why human rights organisations say settler violence is state violence.
The number of attacks in 2024 was six times that of the year before, and, in 2025, we are already at more attacks registered than in the previous year.
Israeli settlers launch more attacks across occupied West Bank
Israeli settlers stormed the village of Shallalat al-Auja, north of Jericho in the occupied West Bank, grazing their livestock on Palestinian land and in residential areas. A local source told the Wafa news agency that such attacks have become a daily occurrence and cause considerable damage to agricultural lands.
West of Bardala town in the northern Jordan Valley, settlers set up new mobile homes in an illegal outpost set up a year earlier, raising concerns they were aiming to further expand into Palestinian territory.
Israeli settlers also set up tents between two villages in Deir Istiya, northwest of Salfit, in a move aimed at seizing more land in the area to establish a new illegal settlement.
At least 31 Palestinian released detainees now reported killed in Gaza
At least 31 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank who had been released to Gaza as part of a 2011 prisoner exchange have been killed since Israel launched its attacks on Gaza in October 2023.
Several of them were killed in targeted assassinations, and we see a pattern emerge. This also sends a message to negotiators and Palestinian detainees that even if they are released in a future ceasefire deal, their safety is not guaranteed.
