Photographer assaulted by settlers in the West Bank

 

TT-AFP

 

Published 2026-10-16 20:18 Updated 2026-10-16 20:39

 

Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine is receiving hospital care after being assaulted by settlers. Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/TT

Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine is receiving hospital care after being attacked by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

The settlers, who were armed with bottles and slingshots, “kicked me for about ten minutes while I tried to hold onto my cameras and my bag,” Levine said in a statement, according to AFP.

Levine, who was wearing a helmet and a press vest, believes this equipment saved her from more serious injury.

The U.S. State Department has condemned “criminal activity by any party in the West Bank” in an unusually sharp statement, demanding that those responsible be held accountable.

The Washington Post and the Foreign Press Association (FPA) are also calling on Israel to “bring the perpetrators to justice.”

Violence in the West Bank has escalated sharply since the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Since then, more than 1,100 Palestinians in the territory have been killed by Israeli settlers or forces.