Abdelhamid Siyam is a lecturer of Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies at Rutgers University. He previously worked for the United Nations for over 25 years, including as a Political Affairs Officer, Information Officer at the Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Spokesman for the U.N. Mission in Western Sahara, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Iraq and chief of the Radio and News Centre at the Department of Public Information. Since 2014, he has served as the Bureau Chief of Alquds Alarabi at the United Nations. He is the author of numerous books on the Middle East. Follow him on Twitter/X @AbdelhamidSiyam.
On Feb. 18, first day of the holy month of Ramadan, a group of about 30 Israeli settlers attacked the eastern outskirts of Mukhmas, a village of about 1,200 Palestinians north of Jerusalem in the Israel-occupied West Bank. Their goal was to seize the herds belonging to several families who had built sheep pens — simple tin structures used to shelter livestock and sustain a simple but important life in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
The settlers fired shots from behind the pens, causing the sheep to scatter in terror. As they began driving them away, the village's young men mobilized after calls for help spread rapidly through the community. Clashes broke out with the settlers as residents tried to retrieve the animals and prevent further damage and theft.
Nasrallah Abu Siyam, my cousin's son, left his home on the other side of the village to join the defenders. His father, Muhammad, asked him to wait until they finished feeding their own livestock. "There's no time to wait," Nasrallah replied.
Nasrallah was a tall and slender 19-year-old young man in the prime of his life. He cherished nature and its blossoms, sheep and their bounty and the land he helped cultivate.
- Abdelhamid Siyam
As he reached the site of the clashes, Nasrallah found one of the young Palestinian men from the village wounded. Settlers were beating him with sticks. Nasrallah rushed toward them, pushing the attackers away. Amid the fray, a settler threw a large rock, striking Nasrallah in the lower back.
"I think they broke my hipbone," he told his companions.
Pulling him back, his friends said, "Stay here. Don't go back into the fray." But for Nasrallah, a strong, courageous and justice-driven young man, how could he wait while others defended the village?
During the attack, an Israeli army unit was stationed about 200 feet away. As is far too often the reality, the soldiers began firing tear gas, smoke grenades and rubber bullets at the Palestinians, wounding three of them. The settlers were emboldened by the presence of the army, which ignored them, growing more aggressive. They were determined to steal the livestock — estimated at 350 sheep.
Nasrallah decided to return to the confrontation. As he attempted to rescue a wounded man who had been shot in the leg, three armed settlers stood before him. Two carried M-16 rifles, likely provided by the United States, and the third held a pistol. They were displeased that this wounded, young man had rejoined the fight. As Nasrallah continued to help his injured comrade, one of the settlers shot him from roughly three meters away before fleeing the scene.
Nasrallah collapsed, covered in blood. Multiple villagers quickly carried him away in search of medical assistance. "I'm dead, guys. That's it," he told them, before reciting the Shahada (the Islamic declaration of faith). They offered him water, but he refused: "I'm fasting."
The journey to a hospital in Ramallah was hindered by Israeli checkpoints and heavy traffic. An ambulance could not reach them — another intentional product of Israel's occupation. The group managed to arrive at the hospital in Ramallah two hours later while Nasrallah was still bleeding. All attempts to save his life were unsuccessful, and doctors pronounced him dead just before midnight.
Since 2003, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed at least 14 American citizens, including 10 Palestinian-Americans, according to DAWN's "American Body Count" tracker. None of these incidents has led to criminal accountability.
- Abdelhamid Siyam
The news of his martyrdom quickly spread across Palestinian communities. The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Health issued an official statement. Shock spread throughout the village. Nasrallah's friends remained outside the hospital throughout the night until his body was returned to Mukhmas the next day for burial. The subsequent funeral was among the largest the village had seen in recent memory.
Nasrallah was a tall and slender 19-year-old young man in the prime of his life. He cherished nature and its blossoms, sheep and their bounty and the land he helped cultivate. He was beloved by the people of his town and was quick to lend a helping hand. He was strong, possessing a tender heart for family and friends. Yet he was also fierce, resolute and courageous when confronting those threatening his community. With his bare hands, he took on a group of armed settlers face-to-face.
Nasrallah was born in Philadelphia. He returned to Palestine at an early age to learn the language and culture. It is common practice among Palestinians living in the United States to take their children back to the homeland to acquire the language and culture before returning to the United States for higher education.
Nasrallah had a mare named Shams. After the attack, Shams sensed that something had happened to her knight. Since his death, a constant restlessness and unease defines her eyes. One recent night shortly after Nasrallah's killing, she broke free, stamping her hooves and filling the town with her neighing all night. We do not know if Shams will remain defiant or melt with grief.
Since 2003, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed at least 14 American citizens, including 10 Palestinian-Americans, according to DAWN's "American Body Count" tracker. None of these incidents has led to criminal accountability. This growing record raises serious questions about the thoroughness of investigations into such cases, alongside the U.S. government role when the victims are its citizens. Ultimately, these murders are not just numbers. Many community members have loved ones, relatives and friends living in villages throughout Palestine who face the daily threat of armed settlers, home invasions, bombings and violence.
One such incident involves the murder of 14-year-old New Jersey-born Palestinian American Amer Rabee' — the first anniversary of which is quickly approaching. Israeli settlers murdered Amer while he picked green almonds with his friends in the village of Turmus Ayya in April 2025 in an eerily similar incident to that of Nasrallah.
Amer and Nasrallah are just two cases among numerous young Palestinians killed by Israeli settlers and security forces in the OPT. In the West Bank alone, 1,124 people were killed since Oct. 7, 2023. Hardly a day passes without new victims.
In the United States, family members and advocacy groups established a campaign called "Justice4Nasrallah" with the goal of urging U.S. lawmakers, the Justice Department and the State Department to pressure the Israeli government to investigate Nasrallah's killing and the murder of eight other Palestinian Americans since 2022. Advocates say the campaign is beginning to gain attention, with the Philadelphia City Council passing a proclamation condemning the killing. Several Pennsylvania elected officials, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, have also demanded an investigation.
Similarly, over 30 U.S. Senators signed a letter urging the Trump administration to open an independent investigation into the killing. According to the lawmakers, the case reflects a recurring pattern: Israel kills American citizens in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza without criminal prosecution and with little explanation. The lawmakers demand a U.S.-led investigation and a comprehensive report addressing each case of Americans killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers since 2022, alongside a detailed briefing to Congress on the circumstances surrounding Nasrallah's death.
Nasrallah's family hopes that the murder of their beloved son will trigger a movement to curb settler violence, which remains unchecked across the West Bank. The United States should end the double standards that led to his killing and the murder of countless others. It is time to end Israel's practice of treating Palestinian Americans, and Palestinians more broadly, as second-class citizens. It is time to advance calls for justice, equality and rule of law.
The views and positions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of DAWN.
