West Bank olive harvest attack injures Washington Post photographer

 Conceptual editorial illustration — not a photograph of the incident. Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villagers gathering olives in Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, on Friday, October 16, setting trees on fire and throwing stones, [Reuters reported from witness accounts](https://www.investing.com/news/world-news/israeli-settlers-burn-olive-trees-injure-journalist-in-west-bank-attack-4953461). The assault also injured Heidi Levine, a veteran photojournalist for [The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/10/16/palestinians-washington-post-photographer-attacked-west-bank/). Levine told reporters she was knocked down and repeatedly kicked; her cameras and phone were taken. The Post said video recorded by another journalist showed her being struck on the ground. She was taken to a hospital near Ramallah, and Reuters later reported she was in stable condition. Reuters witnesses estimated that about 80 settlers took part. The Palestinian Red Crescent told the [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/5da500114e070ccaa27d36837b095de5) that it treated six people injured in two attacks in Abu Falah; AP said a 63-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man were hospitalized after beatings. These reports use different scopes, so a final count for the incident remains unclear. Reuters said its photographer saw an armed settler fire a gun. Witnesses cited by the Post said a Palestinian was wounded by gunfire. Reuters and the Post also reported that Israeli forces arrived and fired tear gas toward Palestinians. The Israeli military had not responded to either outlet’s request for comment when their reports were published. The attack interrupted a seasonal harvest that provides income for Palestinian families, and damage to olive trees can affect future crops as well as this year’s picking. Israeli rights group Yesh Din counted at least 170 settler attacks since September 27, around the start of the harvest, Reuters reported; that is the group’s tally, not an official government count. The reports reviewed do not establish the full injury toll or the extent of damage to the groves, and no investigation findings had been announced. ~worldnews