An AFP photographer was assaulted and targeted with gunfire while covering clashes involving settlers and Palestinian olive farmers in the northern West Bank on Tuesday, witnesses and colleagues reported.

Jaafar Ashtiyeh, a 58-year-old veteran photojournalist working in Palestinian territories, sustained bruises to his head and torso during the incident near the village of Aqraba. He was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Nablus, where he remains conscious under 24-hour medical supervision and is scheduled to undergo X-rays, according to his son, Zain Jaafar.

The confrontation unfolded as Ashtiyeh and fellow AFP photographer John Wessels observed a man being detained by an individual described as a Zionist soldier while local Palestinians harvested olives. Suddenly, a quad bike approached rapidly, with an occupant opening fire in their direction. A Palestinian man was struck in the foot and hospitalized, per the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

Following the initial shooting, at least six individuals armed with firearms advanced toward the journalists. Ashtiyeh attempted to enter a vehicle but was intercepted and beaten repeatedly with guns by two assailants. Wessels, who also faced threats at gunpoint, recounted hearing Ashtiyeh’s screams during the attack.

The photographers’ camera equipment was confiscated during the incident. Despite the violent confrontation, approximately a dozen armed soldiers were stationed roughly 500 meters away but did not intervene, Wessels said. He noted that the first gunman wore a distinctive combination of military fatigues and a long white shirt, attire typically associated with soldiers.

No official response from Israeli authorities was immediately available. The incident highlights continuing tensions and violence involving settler communities and Palestinian residents in the West Bank, particularly during the olive harvest season.