ARMED SETTLERS BEAT AFP PHOTOGRAPHER IN OCCUPIED WEST BANK

Armed Israeli settlers beat an AFP photographer, Jaafar Ashtiyeh, in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, leaving him needing hospital treatment, according to witnesses, his family and fellow journalists. Ashtiyeh, a veteran AFP photographer, suffered bruises to his head and torso and was taken to hospital by ambulance. He had been covering settler violence against Palestinian olive farmers near the village of Aqraba, alongside a second AFP photographer, John Wessels, when the pair were attacked. As Ashtiyeh tried to get into a car marked "Press", two men jumped on him and beat him repeatedly with the butts of their rifles, witnesses said. Ashtiyeh, who is Palestinian, remained in hospital for round-the-clock observation.

Before the assault, witnesses said a quadbike had approached the journalists from a nearby hill and a man riding it opened fire. One Palestinian man fell to the ground and was later hospitalised with a gunshot wound to the foot, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. At least six further people then rushed towards the AFP journalists, also firing weapons, witnesses said. Farmers in the area had reported repeated attacks by settlers during this year's olive harvest.

The attack adds to concerns about the safety of journalists and farmers amid continuing tension in the occupied West Bank. Ashtiyeh's family and colleagues said he would remain under medical observation around the clock. No information was given on whether anyone had been arrested over either attack. Separately, footage shared on social media showed an Israeli soldier smashing a memorial to Palestinians during a raid by Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Nablus.