Hundreds of Palestinians gathered on Sunday in the occupied West Bank town of Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah, to lay to rest two young men killed in a brutal attack by Israeli settlers.
The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the killings of 20-year-old Palestinian-American Sayfollah “Saif” Musallet and 23-year-old Razek Hussein al-Shalabi on Friday in a deadly assault by armed settlers.
Musallet, a US citizen, was beaten to death by the settlers, while al-Shalabi was shot in the chest and, according to witnesses, "left to bleed for hours" without medical assistance.
The family of Musallet, speaking through lawyer Diana Halum, said that settlers blocked ambulances and paramedics from reaching the young man as he lay critically injured.
He died before he could be transported to a hospital.
Sunday’s funeral was marked by scenes of grief and defiance.
Tearful attendees carried the bodies of the two men through the town, draped in Palestinian flags.
A large banner hung in the village paid tribute to al-Shalabi, calling him "the martyred hero who watered with his blood the beloved land of Palestine."
In a statement, Musallet’s family said they were "devastated" by his killing, describing him as a “kind, hard-working and deeply respected” young man.
Born and raised in Florida, Musallet had travelled to the West Bank last month to visit family and help protect their land from encroaching settler violence.
The family have since called for an urgent and immediate US State Department probe into Musallet's death, emphasising that authorities "hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes. We demand justice".
Rights groups have strongly condemned the rising violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, where tensions have escalated significantly since the outbreak of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023.
According to the United Nations, such settler attacks are taking place in a climate of near-total impunity, often with military backing.
AFP reported last week that Sinjil had seen clashes between dozens of Israeli settlers and Palestinians who were protesting against attacks on nearby farmland.
The report also noted that Israeli authorities had erected a high fence cutting parts of Sinjil off from Road 60, a major highway traversing the West Bank from north to south.
Since 7 October 2023, Israeli military and settler violence in the West Bank has surged.
At least 955 Palestinians, including civilians, have been killed in the territory by Israeli forces or settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.