At least six Americans killed by Israeli forces and settlers since 2024; families seek end to impunity and release of American child from unlawful Israeli detention

September 16, 2025, Washington, D.C. – Members of five American families are making an unprecedented trip to Washington, D.C. this week to demand justice for their loved ones who were victims of Israeli violence. Four families’ loved ones were killed by Israeli forces and settlers, and one is currently in detention. In meetings with members of Congress and at a press conference on Tuesday with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), they will call for an end to impunity for Israeli forces and settlers and for the release of a Palestinian-American teenager who is in danger of dying in an Israeli prison after being unjustly detained in February. The prison is notorious for abusing Palestinian children.

The historic delegation aims to cast a light on the crimes committed by the Israeli military and settlers against their family members in Palestine and to seek protection for Palestinian Americans who remain under threat from Israeli violence. Their broader focus is the universal failure to hold Israel accountable amid its ongoing U.S.-enabled genocide in Gaza and rampant settler violence in the West Bank. 

At least six Americans have been killed by Israel in the occupied West Bank since January 2024. Three of their families are represented on the delegation, which also includes the parents of Rachel Corrie, who was killed in 2003. They have meetings scheduled with multiple members of the House and Senate and held a press conference with several of them on Capitol Hill this morning.

The delegation will call on U.S. government officials to secure the release of Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old Palestinian American from Florida unjustly imprisoned by Israel since February. According to his attorneys, he is suffering from scabies and has lost more than 30 pounds due to the denial of food and medical treatment. 

The delegation includes family members of:

• Sayfollah “Saif” Musallet, a 20-year-old American-Palestinian from Florida beaten to death on July 11 by Israeli settlers who were trying to steal his family’s land in the occupied West Bank. Israeli soldiers blocked ambulance crews from reaching Saif for three hours, while he was still conscious.
  Kamel Musallet, Saif’s father, said: “I’m here today demanding justice and accountability for my son’s brutal murder by Israeli settlers. We are demanding that the U.S. government act and protect ALL Americans, including Palestinians and Americans murdered by Israeli violence. How many more families and parents will have to bury their child because of Israel’s violence and the US' failure to act?
• Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old American-Turkish student from Washington state shot in the head and killed by an Israeli soldier in September 2024 after observing a protest of Israel’s theft of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.
  Hamid Ali, Ayşenur’s husband, said: “One year after burying Aysenur, we must again travel thousands of miles to simply ask our government to investigate and hold my wife’s killers accountable. We have come again to ask the same for Tawfiq Abdel Jabbar, Sayfollah Musallet, and Rachel Corrie, and to demand the release of 16 year-old Mohammed Ibrahim, so that his name is not added to this growing list. Our families have been bound together by the grief of having our loved ones ripped from our lives, and this week we will walk the halls of Congress to force our representatives, and the public, to reconcile the unconditional impunity afforded to Israel by the U.S., despite Israel’s decades-long history of killing and imprisoning U.S. citizens, represented by each one of our losses. If the U.S. had held Israel accountable in any of these cases, perhaps the next one could have been avoided.”
  Ozden Bennett, Ayşenur’s sister, said: “Today, I’m not just here to mourn the loss of my sister—I'm here to demand accountability from the U.S. government, which continues to shield Israel from consequences even when its actions result in the deaths of American citizens. If our government won’t stand up for its own citizens—what exactly are they standing for?
• Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, a 17-year-old American-Palestinian from Louisiana killed by Israeli gunfire while driving in the occupied West Bank with his friend on January 19, 2024. They were searching for a place to picnic when a barrage of bullets suddenly hit their car.
  Hafeth Abdel Jabbar, Tawfic’s father, said: “I was 14 years old when I came to the U.S. – I grew up here, I went to school here, I got married here, I had my children here. I taught my children about liberty and human rights, what this country was built on. But when it comes to Israel, it’s a different story – the U.S. government is supporting a genocide and unlawful occupation, not liberty or human rights. To this day, there has been absolutely no justice for Tawfic’s killing. We’re calling for a thorough, credible, independent, U.S.-led criminal investigation into Tawfic’s killing, as well as all the killings of Americans by the Israeli military and settlers.”
  
  
• Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old peace activist crushed to death by a Caterpillar D9 Israeli military bulldozer in Gaza in March 2003 while she was protecting a Palestinian family’s home from demolition while the family was inside.
  Craig Corrie, Rachel’s father, said: “What I want is for all the members of our government to treat each of these families as if they were their own. I’m outraged that we’re back here after 20 years asking for accountability in the killing of more American citizens. If we’d had accountability for Rachel’s killing, perhaps we wouldn’t be here. If we get accountability for these families, perhaps we won’t have to be here again.”
  
  
• Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old American-Palestinian child from Florida who has been unjustly imprisoned by Israel since February, when he was 15. According to his attorneys, Mohammed’s health is dire. He is suffering from scabies and has not received any medication; he has lost over 30 pounds due to Israel denying him food and medical treatment. Mohammed is also the first cousin of Sayfollah.
  Zeyad Kadur, Mohammed’s uncle, said: “Our families and our children deserve to be safe. Why isn’t the U.S. government protecting American children being abused by the Israeli military? Help us make sure Mohammed, an American child, is safe and home with his family. Our demand is urgent: bring Mohammed home now!”

​”At the height of Israel’s U.S.-backed genocide against the Palestinian people​, Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank are increasingly emboldened by systemic impunity and know they can kill Palestinians with absolutely no consequence,” said Brad Parker, Associate Director of Policy at the Center for Constitutional Rights. “When Israeli forces and settlers kill Americans, the U.S. government’s response has been to perpetuate impunity rather than seek justice and accountability on behalf of American families. They guarantee other Americans and many more Palestinians will be unlawfully killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank.”

The Center for Constitutional Rights and the Institute for Middle East Understanding helped organize the delegation.