The United States has called for a “thorough” probe into the killing of two Palestinian brothers in a deliberate car-ramming attack by an Israeli settler on Saturday in the occupied West Bank.
The US Office of Palestinian Affairs Office, Washington’s diplomatic mission to Palestinians, on Sunday offered its “deepest condolences” to the family and said that the US supports a “thorough police investigation into this tragedy”.
On Saturday night, Muhannad Mutair, 19, and his brother Mohammad, 37, from the Qalandia refugee camp, were killed after an Israeli settler deliberately rammed his vehicle into them while they were fixing a puncture in one of the tires of their vehicle on the side of the road near the checkpoint.
The settler, who fled the scene, immediately killed Mohammad while seriously injuring Muhannad who died of his wounds about an hour later.
Imad Mutair, the brother’s cousin, said the two were killed after being hit hard by a fast-driving Israeli settler.
In a press statement, the director of the Jerusalem Governorate office in Qalandiya, Zakaria Fayala, confirmed that the two brothers were traveling with three other siblings, running errands for their sister’s wedding next Friday, when their car broke down.
They pulled over to fix one of the tires, before the settler’s speeding car “deliberately” ran into the group, resulting in the immediate death of Mohammad and later Muhannad.
A general strike has been announced in Qalandiya, where the brothers lived, for Sunday.
The killing comes amid a spike in Israeli violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank this year. Over 220 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers so far this year, making 2022 the deadliest year for Palestinians since 2005.
