A Palestinian-American teenager was laid to rest in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Thursday, a day after he was tragically shot dead. According to a witness and Palestinian Health Ministry officials, an Israeli settler was responsible for his death.
Dozens gathered in Mukhmas, a hillside village north of Jerusalem, for the solemn funeral procession, carrying the remains of 19-year-old Nasrallah Abu Siyam.
This tragic incident highlights the escalating violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. In recent years, extremist settlers have increasingly terrorized Palestinian villagers, engaging in acts such as setting buildings on fire, destroying olive trees, stealing livestock, and causing injuries or fatalities. These attacks have fostered a deep sense of insecurity among Palestinians residing near settler outposts.
According to village resident Atta Kanaan, 54, who witnessed the shooting, Mr. Abu Siyam was killed on Wednesday while trying to prevent a group of settlers from stealing livestock at the edge of Mukhmas. Kanaan recounted that settlers began throwing rocks at residents, who then retaliated. He stated that Mr. Abu Siyam was hit by a rock thrown by a settler before being shot by another settler.
The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that Mr. Abu Siyam succumbed to his injuries on Thursday after being hit by the “bullet of settlers.”
Israeli soldiers were reportedly present in the vicinity during the shooting, deploying tear gas and sound grenades. It remains unclear whether they were directly at the scene of the fatal incident. The Israeli military released a statement Friday, noting that soldiers were dispatched to Mukhmas following reports of “a violent confrontation including rock hurling.” The military indicated that “suspects in the area” had fired live ammunition at Palestinians, but did not specify if these suspects were settlers. The incident is currently under review.
In 2025, the U.N. humanitarian affairs office in Jerusalem documented 1,828 settler attacks against Palestinians and their property, marking the highest annual total since 2006.
Nasrallah’s father, Mohammed Abu Siyam, shared that his son was born in the United States but had spent most of his life in the West Bank, recently assisting him with his livestock and olive groves. “My heart is on fire,” he expressed. “I’m broken. He helped me with everything.”
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem condemned “this violence” when asked about the shooting, adding that due to privacy regulations, specific details could not be provided. They emphasized that the safety of American citizens abroad is the State Department’s highest priority.
This incident follows another tragic event in July, when Israeli settlers allegedly beat and killed another Palestinian-American man during a confrontation in the West Bank town of Sinjil, according to Palestinian authorities and the man’s family.
Approximately three million Palestinians in the West Bank live under Israeli military rule, a system that offers them minimal guarantees for justice. In contrast, around 500,000 settlers in the territory enjoy the same rights as other Israeli citizens.
Both Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations assert that the Israeli government often overlooks settler attacks on Palestinians. They claim that Israeli soldiers and police, when intervening in clashes between settlers and Palestinians, frequently depart without detaining attackers, or only arrest Palestinians. Consequently, very few Israeli perpetrators are ever indicted or convicted.