A 20-year-old Palestinian-American was reportedly killed July 11 in an alleged attack by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, prompting his family in Florida to demand a formal investigation by the US State Department.
Sayafollah “Saif” Musallet, a US citizen born in Tampa, Florida, was reportedly beaten to death by Israeli settlers near the village of Sinjil in the Holy Land, according to multiple reports, including from Reuters, Newsweek, the New York Times, and The Times of Israel. Another man, Hussein Al-Shalabi, 23, was reportedly shot and killed during the same confrontation.
In a statement shared by media outlets and on social media, Musallet’s family said Israeli settlers blocked medics from reaching him for hours after the beating. Mussallet’s brother eventually carried him to an ambulance, but the victim died before arriving at the hospital.
“This is an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should ever have to face,” the family said. “We demand the U.S. State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes.”
“Saif was a brother and a son, just starting the prime of his life,” the family added. “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.”
Musallet had traveled there in early June, according to his family, to “spend time with his loved ones.”
A State Department spokesperson expressed condolences to the family, saying the agency is “aware of reports of the death of a U.S. citizen in the West Bank,” according to Axios. The agency “has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” the spokesperson added. The US embassy in Jerusalem also confirmed the identity of the victim, according to the New York Times.
Saif Musallet’s father, Kamel Musallet, reportedly flew to the Holy Land from the US to bury his son.
“There’s no accountability,” he said, according to Reuters. “We demand the United States government do something about it.”
According to The Times of Israel, the violence began when a group of Palestinians gathered to protest the establishment of a new illegal Israeli outpost near Sinjil. The Israeli military said clashes erupted after Palestinians threw rocks at settlers and stated it has opened an investigation, Reuters reported. Ten Palestinians were injured in the attack.
Israeli news outlet Ynet reported that Israeli security forces were dispatched to the scene, but no arrests have been publicly announced.
The incident follows a reported string of escalating settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, which victims claim Israeli officials are facilitating rather than policing.
As CatholicVote previously reported, Christian priests in Taybeh — the last all-Christian town in the West Bank — recently warned of the ongoing settler violence. In a joint statement, Fathers Daoud Khoury (Orthodox), Jack-Nobel Abed (Melkite Catholic), and Bashar Fawadleh (Latin Rite Catholic) condemned repeated incursions, including a July 7 arson attack near the 5th-century Church of Saint George that they said would have severely damaged the site were it not for the swift response of local residents and fire officials.
Local residents also told CatholicVote that settlers have been damaging farmlands, assaulting Christian families, and targeting their homes and businesses, while Israeli forces often stand by without intervening.
Fr. Fawadleh told CatholicVote that despite the ongoing violence, many locals still hope for peace between Jews and Palestinians.
“We are all dreaming that we can live together without any problems, without any occupation, without any killing,” he said, “so that we can all live together in this very important and very holy place — the homeland of Jesus.”