An NBC News correspondent and three other team members, along with a Palestinian woman, sustained injuries during an attack in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Saturday. The incident occurred in the Palestinian town of Jalud near Nablus while the news team was conducting interviews with Aida Abdullah and her family about their displacement from their home by settlers.
According to accounts from those present, a vehicle with Israeli license plates approached the group as they walked down a hillside. Four masked men emerged from the vehicle armed with sticks and rocks, attacking the journalists and Abdullah before departing. NBC News correspondent Matt Bradley was struck twice on the arm and received treatment at a nearby clinic. Abdullah, age 51, was transported for medical evaluation by the Red Crescent, though her injuries were not considered life-threatening. Producer Lawahez Jabari reported observing a firearm among the attackers, though it was not discharged. Camera operator Khaldoon Eid indicated the team had not anticipated violence in the village setting.
The attack was one of several violent incidents reported in the area on the same day. Israeli security forces documented additional confrontations, including the pepper-spraying of Palestinian workers in the nearby village of Qusra by masked settlers. According to Israeli security statements, dozens of rioters barricaded themselves inside a Palestinian residence while residents remained inside, prompting security force intervention to remove the intruders and separate the groups.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement condemning the violence, characterizing those involved as “a handful of rioters” who violated the law and damaged Israel’s international reputation. Israeli forces and Border Police continue operations in the Qusra and Jalud areas to prevent further disturbances. Earlier in the month, settlers had blocked supply access to Palestinian homes on the village outskirts, confining residents indoors and drawing criticism from the US ambassador.
According to United Nations humanitarian coordination data, Israeli forces or settlers were responsible for 76 Palestinian deaths in the West Bank over a one-year period ending in July, while three Israelis were killed during the same timeframe.
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