AFP photographer Jaafar Ashtiyeh beaten by Israeli settlers near Aqraba, West Bank

Mixed · 2Israeli settlers beat AFP photographer Jaafar Ashtiyeh, 58, and fired guns toward him and a colleague on Tuesday 6 October 2026 near the northern West Bank village of Aqraba, while they covered settler violence against olive farmers. 1 2 Right · 1Ashtiyeh, who is Palestinian, suffered bruises to his head and torso and was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Nablus, according to witnesses, his family and fellow journalists; his son said he was conscious, under 24-hour supervision and due to have X-rays. 1 Right · 1According to AFP's account, Ashtiyeh and fellow AFP photographer John Wessels had noticed an Israeli soldier detaining a man as Palestinians picked olives when a quad bike raced toward them and a man from it opened live fire; a Palestinian was shot in the foot, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. 1

Right · 1At least six other people then rushed toward the journalists firing guns, and as Ashtiyeh tried to enter a car, two men jumped on him and beat him repeatedly with guns. Wessels, who was also threatened at gunpoint, said, "I could hear his screams" and that the assailants took Ashtiyeh's camera equipment. 3 Right · 1Wessels said at least a dozen fully equipped Israeli soldiers were about 500 metres away during the attack, and that the first gunman wore a long white shirt with military fatigue trousers and boots, which are commonly worn by soldiers. 1 Mixed · 2AFP global news director Phil Chetwynd said the agency strongly condemned "yet another serious attack on journalists" and demanded a full investigation, calling it unacceptable that journalists could be beaten and robbed by armed settlers in front of Israeli security forces who made no attempt to intervene. 3 2

Mixed · 2AFP reached out to the Israeli military for comment; The Media Line reported that the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Police did not immediately respond. Separately that day, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Police Commissioner Daniel Levy and Shin Bet chief David Zini held a joint security assessment that included efforts to "address nationalist crime", without referring to Aqraba. 1 2 Centre · 1The Media Line also cited the Palestinian Authority as saying one Palestinian was shot in the leg and two others were severely beaten in Aqraba. 2 Right · 1Settler attacks, thefts and vandalism against Palestinians have been near-daily in recent months, and extremist settlers have been seizing Palestinian-owned olive groves. Attacks on Israelis also occur, including a Palestinian shooting dead a settler in September. 3

Right · 1Reporters Without Borders says Israeli authorities have detained 19 journalists in the West Bank, including one AFP contributor, in the three years since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, and media rights groups say settlers increasingly target journalists. 1 Centre · 1About 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank among roughly three million Palestinians; most of the international community considers the settlements illegal, a position Israel disputes. 2