A Palestinian woman and an NBC News crew were attacked and injured by masked Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, according to reports from NBC News and The Guardian. The assault occurred during worsening confrontations in the area, prompting an official condemnation from Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Attack in the Village of Jalud
The incident unfolded on Saturday as a four-person NBC News team interviewed 51-year-old Aida Ahmed Abdullah and her family in the Palestinian town of Jalud, located near Nablus. According to statements given to NBC News by Abdullah, her family had recently been driven out of their home by settlers. As the news crew walked down a hill toward the house, a vehicle bearing Israeli license plates reversed up the slope toward them.
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At least four masked men emerged from the car and began striking the group with sticks and throwing rocks, according to NBC News correspondent Matt Bradley. Bradley was struck twice in the arm and subsequently treated at a nearby clinic. Abdullah sustained injuries that were not life-threatening and was transported for medical care by the Palestine Red Crescent Society.
Three other members of the news team also sustained injuries. Producer Lawahez Jabari told NBC News that the attackers suddenly descended on the group, noting that she saw a gun among the assailants though it was not discharged. Camera operator Khaldoon Eid stated that the team had not anticipated encountering such violence inside a village.
Wider Violence and Security Forces Response
Saturday’s assault took place amid a broader wave of violent incidents in the surrounding area. According to reporting corroborated by The Guardian, Palestinian workers were pepper-sprayed in nearby Qusra by masked Israeli settlers earlier in the day.
Israeli security forces stated that they received reports of violent clashes, including stone-hurling toward Palestinians and other civilians. According to an official statement cited by NBC News, security personnel identified dozens of rioters who had barricaded themselves inside a Palestinian home while residents were still inside. Troops deployed to the scene separated the groups to protect the residents and confiscated vehicles suspected of transporting the Israeli rioters to the area. Israel Defense Forces and Israel Border Police units remained stationed in Qusra and Jalud to prevent further disturbances, according to military officials.
Official Condemnations and Humanitarian Context
Earlier in the month, separate settler groups blocked supplies from reaching Palestinian homes on the outskirts of the Nablus-area village, drawing strong criticism from the United States ambassador.
The humanitarian toll in the territory remains severe. Data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicates that Israeli forces or settlers killed 76 Palestinians in the West Bank in the year leading up to July 24, while three Israelis were killed over the same period.
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