Masked Israeli settlers attack NBC News crew and Palestinian woman in West Bank

On August 29, 2026, masked Israeli settlers launched coordinated attacks in the West Bank villages of Qusra and Jalud. In Jalud, settlers armed with sticks beat an NBC News crew—including correspondent Matt Bradley—and 51-year-old Palestinian Aida Ahmed Abdullah during an on-camera interview. In Qusra, dozens of settlers besieged a Palestinian home. The IDF faced criticism for failing to detain the masked attackers, instead detaining the homeowner. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a rare condemnation, calling the assaults "criminal acts of violence."

Qusra village settler attack

• ▪During the August 29, 2026 attack in Qusra, masked settlers pelted the home of Luay Adly with stones, growing to a crowd of 60 to 70 people after Adly called the Israeli police.
• ▪Dozens of Israeli settlers descended on the West Bank village of Qusra on August 29, 2026, throwing stones at residents and barricading themselves inside a Palestinian home.

Jalud NBC crew assault

• ▪NBC News correspondent Matt Bradley was hit twice in the arm during the Jalud attack and received treatment at a nearby clinic, while Aida Ahmed Abdullah was hospitalized by the Red Crescent with non-life-threatening injuries.
• ▪The NBC News team, including correspondent Matt Bradley, producer Lawahez Jabari, and camera operator Khaldoon Eid, was in Jalud to interview Aida Ahmed Abdullah about being driven out of her home by settlers.
• ▪During the Jalud assault, at least four masked men leaped from a car with Israeli license plates, beat the NBC News team with sticks, and threw rocks.
• ▪Masked Israeli settlers attacked and injured an NBC News reporting team and 51-year-old Palestinian resident Aida Ahmed Abdullah in the West Bank village of Jalud on August 29, 2026.
• ▪The Foreign Press Association and the Israel Press Council condemned the attack on the NBC News crew, calling for Israeli security forces to investigate, hold perpetrators accountable, and guarantee journalist safety.

IDF enforcement failures

• ▪Israeli soldiers in Qusra on August 29, 2026, did not detain or identify the masked settlers, despite an active West Bank order criminalizing face coverings.
• ▪The Israel Defense Forces stated that security forces used proportionate force against a Palestinian resisting and throwing stones, and operated to separate the groups and confiscate three vehicles used by the rioters.
• ▪Qusra resident Luay Adly stated that Israeli soldiers did not stop the settler attack on his home, fired tear gas at the house, and later detained and blindfolded him, warning him not to return.

Netanyahu condemnation statement

• ▪Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the Qusra attack as a blatant disregard for the country's laws, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry described the violence as "a disgrace."
• ▪Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement strongly condemning the "criminal acts of violence" committed by "a handful of rioters" in Qusra and Jalud on August 29, 2026.

West Bank violence pattern

• ▪The Foreign Press Association stated that the August 29, 2026 assault is part of a recurring, systemic pattern of settler violence against members of the press and Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
• ▪According to an AFP tally, at least 1,103 Palestinians and 48 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
• ▪According to United Nations data, Israeli forces or settlers killed 76 Palestinians in the West Bank in the year leading up to July 24, 2026, while three Israelis were killed in the same period.