By David Gritten | BBC News, reporting from Jerusalem

Two Palestinian men, one of them a US citizen, were killed in a violent confrontation involving Israeli settlers near the town of Sinjil in the northern occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

The Israeli military confirmed that stones were thrown at Israelis in the area and stated that “a violent confrontation developed.” It added that investigations were ongoing into the deaths of the two Palestinians, though only one was initially acknowledged in official statements.

The incident occurred Friday evening amid a rising wave of settler violence in the West Bank, which has surged further following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza.

Victims Identified

The Palestinian health ministry identified the victims as 23-year-old Sayfollah Musallet, a dual US-Palestinian citizen from Florida, and 23-year-old Mohammed al-Shalabi from the town of al-Mazraa al-Sharqiya.

Musallet, known as “Saif,” had traveled from Tampa to the West Bank on June 4 to visit family. According to his relatives, he was fatally beaten by Israeli settlers while trying to defend his family’s land from alleged encroachment.

A family statement claimed that settlers surrounded Saif for more than three hours, preventing emergency medical personnel from reaching him. When they finally cleared, Saif’s younger brother carried him to an ambulance, but he died before reaching the hospital.

The family has called for a full investigation by the US State Department and for those responsible to be held accountable.

Al-Shalabi, the second victim, was reportedly shot in the chest during the same settler attack. Palestinian news agency Wafa said he lay wounded for hours before paramedics could reach him. Ten other Palestinians were also reportedly injured, many from gunfire, as settlers allegedly armed with automatic rifles clashed with local residents.

Israeli Military Response

The Israeli military issued a statement late Friday describing the events near Sinjil as beginning with Palestinians throwing rocks at Israeli civilians. Two Israelis were lightly injured. The statement said the violence escalated into a confrontation involving “vandalism of Palestinian property, arson, physical clashes, and rock hurling.”

Security forces, including soldiers and border police, were deployed to disperse the clashes using riot control methods. The army acknowledged it was aware of one Palestinian death and several injuries and confirmed that investigations by the Shin Bet and Israel Police were underway.

When asked by the BBC on Saturday about the report of a second fatality, the Israeli military responded that “the situation is under review.”

US and International Reactions

The US State Department confirmed awareness of a US citizen’s death in the West Bank but declined to comment further, citing respect for the family’s privacy.

Separately, the US embassy in Jerusalem condemned recent attacks by Israeli settlers on the Christian town of Taybeh, where many residents hold US citizenship. Incidents there have included masked settlers torching vehicles and attacking homes. Priests from the town recently appealed for international intervention after settlers set fire to nearby agricultural fields and approached a historic fifth-century church.

The State Department reiterated its commitment to protecting US citizens abroad and emphasized the importance of safeguarding Christian communities.

Rising Tensions and Settler Violence

The UN reports a sharp increase in West Bank settler violence since October 2023. In May 2025 alone, 136 settler-related incidents resulted in casualties or property damage.

Since the start of the conflict, at least 910 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces, 13 by settlers, and 7 by unknown Israeli sources, according to the UN. Meanwhile, 44 Israelis have died in Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank.

On Thursday, an Israeli security guard was killed in the southern West Bank when two Palestinian attackers opened fire and attempted stabbings in a shopping center parking lot. Both assailants were shot dead at the scene.

Context: Settlements and Legal Disputes

Israel has built approximately 160 settlements housing over 700,000 Israeli Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — territories occupied during the 1967 Middle East War. Palestinians consider these lands part of their future state, along with Gaza.

The settlements are regarded as illegal under international law, a position affirmed by a 2024 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, Israel disputes this and continues to expand settlement activity.

As violence continues to escalate, international calls for accountability and de-escalation are growing — especially amid rising civilian casualties and deepening tensions across the region.