Updated

On October 16, 2026, dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive harvesters in several West Bank villages near Ramallah, including Abu Falah, Burqa and Kafr Ni'ma, injuring several people including Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine. Levine, 63, said she was kicked and beaten roughly 50 times and was saved by her flak jacket and helmet; olive trees and vehicles were set on fire and a 70-year-old man was also attacked near Birzeit. The US embassy condemned the "criminal violence," while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office called the facts "unclear" and ordered an investigation into "who initiated" the violence. The UN's OCHA separately reported that settler attacks tied to this year's olive harvest have already surpassed 2025's total, with nearly 200 incidents recorded so far causing casualties or property damage, compared with 185 in all of last year.