US envoy asks Israel to investigate killing of Palestinian American in West Bank

The US ambassador to Israel said on Tuesday that he had asked Israel to investigate the killing of a Palestinian American by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.

"I have asked Israel to aggressively investigate the murder of Saif Mussallet, an American citizen who was visiting family in Sinjil when he was beaten to death," Mike Huckabee said on X.

"There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act. Saif was just 20 yrs old," he added.

Sayfollah Musallet, 20, a US citizen from Florida, was beaten to death last Friday. His family said in a statement that Israeli settlers surrounded him and prevented an ambulance and paramedics from reaching him to deliver life-saving care for three hours. He died before reaching the hospital.

A number of US lawmakers also mourned the death of Musallet and urged the State Department to investigate the incident.

Since the start of Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, at least 998 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.