Israeli settlers shot and killed 19-year-old Palestinian American Nasrallah Abu Siyam during an attack on Mukhmas village east of Ramallah on Thursday, the Palestinian Health Ministry and a witness said.

According to AP’s Friday report, a resident described settlers assaulting a farmer, sparking clashes when villagers intervened, after which armed settlers opened fire as Israeli forces arrived and used tear gas, sound grenades, and live ammunition.

The witness said settlers, emboldened by the military’s presence, shot victims and beat the wounded.

Abu Siyam’s death marks the first Palestinian killed by settlers in 2026, part of a broader surge in West Bank violence that saw 240 Palestinians and 17 Israelis killed last year, according to the United Nations.

Abu Siyam’s mother told the AP that he was an American citizen, making him the second Palestinian American person to be killed by Israeli settlers in less than a year.

Mukhmas has become a hotspot for settler attacks, arson, and illegal outpost construction.

A recent UN human rights report said Israel has engaged in war crimes and practices raising ethnic cleansing concerns through annexation efforts, demographic shifts, and oppression of Palestinians, including lethal airstrikes, forced transfers, and barring returns to homes in northern West Bank refugee camps.