Palestinian woman and NBC News crew hurt in West Bank settler attack

A Palestinian woman and a four-person NBC News crew were reportedly attacked and injured on Saturday by masked Israeli settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, amid escalating unrest in the region. The attack took place in the Palestinian town of Jalud, near Nablus, while the crew was interviewing 51-year-old Aida Ahmed Abdullah and her family, who said they had been forced out of their home due to settler activity.

As the team walked down a hill toward the family's house, a car bearing Israeli license plates reversed toward them. At least four men with covered faces jumped out, striking the group with sticks and hurling rocks before quickly getting back in the vehicle and driving off.

NBC correspondent Matt Bradley described the assailants jumping out, beating the group, then fleeing. He was struck twice in the arm and received treatment at a nearby clinic. Abdullah was taken for medical care by the Red Crescent; her injuries were not life-threatening. Three other crew members were also injured and treated. Producer Lawahez Jabari said one of the attackers appeared to be carrying a gun, though it was not used. Camera operator Khaldoon Eid said the team had not anticipated being attacked in a village setting.

Other violent incidents were reported in the area the same day, including masked settlers pepper-spraying Palestinian workers in the nearby village of Qusra.

Israeli security forces said they had received reports of violent clashes, including stones thrown at Palestinians, and that dozens of rioters had barricaded themselves inside a Palestinian home while residents were also present. Forces said they worked to remove the rioters, separate the groups, and confiscated vehicles suspected of belonging to the attackers. Israeli soldiers and border police remain deployed in Qusra and Jalud to prevent further unrest.

Earlier this month, settlers began blocking supplies from reaching Palestinian homes near Nablus, trapping residents inside and drawing sharp criticism from the US ambassador. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government has faced accusations of failing to curb settler violence, condemned the "criminal acts of violence," attributing them to a small number of rioters who break the law. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Israeli forces or settlers killed 76 Palestinians in the West Bank in the year to 24 July, while three Israelis died over the same period.