A CNN news crew was attacked over the weekend in the West Bank by a group of Israeli settlers while investigating the suspicious death of a 20-year-old American citizen of Palestinian descent.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN’s Jerusalem-based correspondent, confirmed that their vehicle was targeted while traveling through the Palestinian village of Sinjil.
“The rear window was shattered, but we managed to escape unharmed,” Diamond reported Monday evening on X (formerly Twitter), noting that the incident represents “a small glimpse of what Palestinians endure on a daily basis amid rising settler violence.”
The team was covering the case of Saif al-Din Kamil Abdul Karim Musalat, an American citizen of Palestinian origin who died on July 11.
His family, residing in Sinjil, alleges that Israeli settlers beat him and blocked emergency responders from reaching him in time. The incident has drawn international attention, particularly because of the victim’s U.S. citizenship.
The Israeli army has once again described the incident as a “mistake” and has promised yet another investigation.
According to Deadline, the attack occurred in an increasingly hostile environment for journalists working in the West Bank—especially those documenting settler violence.
The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents hundreds of foreign journalists in Israel and the Palestinian territories, issued a statement Tuesday warning of a troubling trend. “This marks the second attack on foreign journalists in Sinjil this July,” the FPA said, referencing an earlier incident on July 4 involving a team from Deutsche Welle. “The settlers act in broad daylight. No suspects have been arrested so far,” the group noted, warning of a growing sense of impunity, as also reported by Deadline.
Other recent attacks have been documented as well. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) cited the case of Issam al-Rimawi, a Palestinian journalist who was beaten unconscious by settlers in the village of al-Mughayyir. The IFJ also reported warning shots fired by the Israeli military toward reporters, such as on May 28 near Jenin, where a group of international journalists was traveling in a clearly marked press vehicle.
On June 2, masked Israeli soldiers also blocked journalists from entering the Masafer Yatta region, the setting of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. The filmmakers had invited members of the press to witness the ongoing situation.
According to the FPA, these incidents are part of a broader pattern. The organization claims the Israeli military is now routinely preventing journalists from entering several refugee camps in northern West Bank areas where thousands of Palestinians have been displaced.
“The space for press freedom to document Palestinian experiences is diminishing at an alarming rate,” the FPA cautioned, urging Israeli authorities to protect journalists and ensure accountability for violent acts, whether committed by civilians or military personnel.
Additionally, international media access to Gaza remains severely restricted, with rare exceptions under Israeli military supervision. In early June, a coalition of over 200 media outlets and press freedom organizations issued an open letter demanding full, unhindered, and autonomous access to the Gaza Strip.
