Palestinian officials say Israeli settlers shot and killed Mashhour Yassin, a 51-year-old Palestinian man, during an attack on the village of Yasuf in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, October 1, 2026. His funeral was held the same day, as mourners gathered in the village east of Salfit to bid him farewell.
Key Facts
- Who: Mashhour Yassin — reported by his full name, Mashhour Shaher Mohammed Yassin — aged 51, a Palestinian resident of Yasuf.
- What: Shot dead during an attack on his home on the outskirts of Yasuf, according to Palestinian officials and the village council.
- Where: Yasuf, a village east of Salfit in the occupied West Bank.
- When: Thursday, October 1, 2026; the funeral was held later the same day.
- Who is blamed: Palestinian officials blame Israeli settlers who, they say, came from a settler outpost established near the village about two months ago.
- Others hurt: A second Palestinian was wounded; the Palestinian Red Crescent treated two people, including a man shot in the abdomen.
- Wider toll: The UN says Israel’s military and settlers have killed more than 80 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of 2026.
Who was Mashhour Yassin?
Mashhour Yassin, 51, lived in Yasuf, a Palestinian village east of Salfit in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian media identified him by his full name, Mashhour Shaher Mohammed Yassin.
According to the head of the Yasuf village council, Jumaa Abdel Fattah, Yassin was shot during an attack on his home on the outskirts of the village on Thursday. The Palestinian Health Ministry said he died of his wounds.
The attack in Yasuf
Palestinian officials say a group of Israeli settlers attacked the eastern part of Yasuf on Thursday. According to village council head Jumaa Abdel Fattah, the assailants came from the direction of a settler outpost built near the village about two months ago.
“The settlers have been attacking the village continuously since the outpost was established,” Fattah told Reuters.
Jordan’s Petra news agency, citing the director of Salfit Governmental Hospital, reported that Israeli forces also fired live ammunition during the raid, injuring two Palestinians — one in the abdomen and another by shrapnel in the flank — and detained several Palestinians at the scene.
The Israeli military said Palestinians had thrown stones at Israelis approaching the village, and that the military dispersed those involved and fired shots toward the Palestinians. It did not immediately clarify why Israeli settlers were encroaching on the village, Reuters reported. Fattah said the settlers had shot the two Palestinians before the Israeli military arrived.
A surge of settler violence
The killing comes amid a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank. According to the United Nations, Israel’s military and settlers have killed more than 80 Palestinians in the West Bank since the beginning of 2026.
Rights groups say the growing settler presence on the edges of Palestinian villages is part of a campaign to seize land and erode the territory where Palestinians aim to establish a state. Israel captured the West Bank in 1967, and the territory has been under Israeli military occupation since.
The United Nations and most countries regard Israeli settlements as illegal under international law governing military occupations — a position Israel disputes, saying the territory’s status is disputed.
Conclusion
The funeral of Mashhour Yassin marks another deadly episode in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinian officials say settler attacks have intensified since a new outpost appeared near Yasuf. With the Israeli military’s account differing on the sequence of events, the killing is likely to fuel further calls for an independent investigation and stronger protection for Palestinian civilians.
Read more on the same story: Funeral held for Palestinian man killed in occupied West Bank. The incident was also reported by Reuters and Petra.
