US citizen killed in anti-settler protest in West Bank, Palestinian news agency reports

A US citizen taking part in a protest against settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank died of her wounds on Friday after being shot in the head by Israeli troops, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the report. There was no immediate comment from the US embassy.

"An American solidarity activist arrived at the hospital with a gunshot in the head, and we announced her martyrdom around 14:30," said Fouad Nafaa, director of Rafidia hospital in Nablus.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the slain activist had been involved in a campaign known as "Fazaa" to protect farmers from Israeli settler violence, which has surged in the West Bank alongside the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. The activist was a woman in her mid-20s, Nafaa told AFP.

Friday's incident comes a few weeks after around 100 settlers attacked the village of Jit, in the northern West Bank, drawing worldwide condemnation and a promise from the government of swift action against anyone found guilty of violence.

Palestinians and rights groups regularly accuse Israeli forces of standing by as attacks take place and even joining in themselves.

Since Oct.7 attack, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 661 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Last month a US citizen told AFP he was shot by Israeli forces and wounded in the leg during a protest against settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, as the Israeli military confirmed it fired live rounds to disperse the gathering.

Agencies