Israeli settlers brutally killed 20-year-old Palestinian-American Sayfollah Musallet in the West Bank town of Sinjil on Friday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health and his family said.

According to multiple reports, Musallet was in the West Bank visiting relatives, and was supposed to head back to Tampa, Florida over the weekend, where he lives.

The Palestinian-American was trying to protect his family’s land in Sinjil when he was beaten to death, according to a statement released by his family.

“Sayfollah was brutally beaten to death by Israeli settlers while he was protecting the family’s land from settlers who were attempting to steal it,” a statement from his family read. “Israeli settlers surrounded Saif for over three hours as paramedics attempted to reach him, but the mob of settlers blocked the ambulance and paramedics from providing life-saving aid.”

The family also said that Musallet died “before making it to the hospital.”

He was "kind, hard-working, and deeply-respected young man, working to build his dreams," the family's statement read.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also said that 23-year-old Mohammed al-Shalabi, a Palestinian, was also killed in the incident.

The U.S. State Department said that they are aware of the death of an American citizen, according to Zeteo, and "has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas."

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in a statement said they are also "aware of reports regarding a Palestinian civilian killed and a number of injured Palestinians as a result of the confrontation, and they are being looked into by the ISA and Israel Police."