Key facts
- A Palestinian woman and an NBC News team were attacked by masked Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
- The attackers used sticks and threw rocks, injuring four members of the news team and the woman.
- Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the violence.
- Israeli security forces intervened to restore order and confiscated vehicles used by the settlers.
A Palestinian woman and an NBC News team were reportedly attacked and injured by masked Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Saturday. The incident occurred in the Palestinian town of Jalud, near Nablus, when settlers reportedly drove a car towards the group, jumped out, and assaulted them with sticks and rocks.
NBC News correspondent Matt Bradley stated that the attackers "jumped out, beat us, then jumped back in the car." Bradley sustained two blows to the arm and received treatment at a local clinic. The Palestinian woman, Aida Ahmed Abdullah, 51, was taken for medical care by the Red Crescent, with injuries described as not life-threatening. Three other members of the NBC News team also sustained injuries and received treatment.
This attack took place amidst escalating confrontations in the region, with reports of other violent incidents involving settlers on the same day, including Palestinian workers being pepper-sprayed in nearby Qusra. Israeli security forces reported that "violent clashes had occurred, including stone-hurling toward Palestinians and additional civilians." They stated that forces intervened to remove rioters who had barricaded themselves in a Palestinian home and confiscated vehicles suspected of being used by the settlers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the "criminal acts of violence," attributing them to "a handful of rioters who violate the law." He added that such actions "hinder the IDF in fulfilling its missions and harm Israel’s standing in the world." According to UN data, 76 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers in the year up to July 24, while three Israelis were killed during the same period.