On 11 July 2025, settlers invaded land belonging to the town of al-Mazra’ah a-Sharqiyah in the Ramallah District, attacked residents and shot and killed Muhammad Shalabi (23). Seif Allah Mislet (21), who was also assaulted by settlers, collapsed while fleeing and died of heart failure caused by fear and physical exertion.
Two weeks earlier, settlers had established an outpost on the town’s land. When the settlers invaded the area, Palestinian residents came there out of concern that settlers would take over more of their land.
After settlers and village residents threw stones at each other, a pickup truck carrying five settlers arrived at the scene, three of them masked and armed with clubs. The settlers attacked an ambulance and a private car that had arrived to evacuate the injured, smashed their windows and chased young men attempting to flee. Additional settler vehicles arrived and blocked the young men’s escape routes. One of the settlers shot Muhammad Shalabi in the back, causing him to fall to the ground. His body was found only hours later.
Meanwhile, Seif Allah Mislet, who had been attacked by settlers and fled, collapsed and lost consciousness. Residents trying to rescue him struggled to reach him because of the settlers in the area. Border Police officers and settlers blocked Palestinian ambulances trying to reach the wounded. Border Police officers also fired tear gas grenades at residents attempting to approach.
The killing of the two young men is part of a broader reality of violence by settler militias backed by the state. This violence is one of the central mechanisms of the Elimination Project Israel is advancing in the West Bank, through which it is working to uproot Palestinian communities, dispossess them of their land and expand Israeli control over the area.