Key facts
- Levine sustained four fractured vertebrae, two broken ribs, and four puncture wounds.
- Palestinian youths intervened with stones and slingshots to save Levine.
- Levine's belongings, including her passport and camera disk, were stolen during the attack.
- Israeli police arrested 10 suspects, but several were later released.
Photojournalist Heidi Levine recounted her serious injuries sustained during an attack by Israeli settlers on Friday in the occupied West Bank, and credited Palestinian youths with saving her life. Levine, 64, was covering an olive harvest in the Palestinian village of Abu Falah, north of Ramallah, when she was knocked down, beaten, and kicked by masked settlers. She sustained four fractured vertebrae, two broken ribs, and four puncture wounds. Levine stated that the attack began after the Israeli army arrived on the scene. She believes she would have died without protective body armor and a helmet. Witnesses said the assault only stopped when young Palestinian men used slingshots to aim stones at the settlers, forcing them back. Another American journalist, Jasper Nathaniel, then helped Levine to safety. Nathaniel stated that without the intervention of the Palestinian youth, Levine might have died. The Israeli army reportedly pursued the Palestinian youth after the incident. Levine, who has lived in Israel for four decades, expressed her intention to continue her work despite the attack. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called Levine to express regret and condemn the settlers' actions, calling them a "dark stain" and "thugs." However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement on X questioning witness and video accounts of the "alleged attack," which Levine dismissed as "bullshit," detailing how she was stood up by attackers who then robbed her of her belongings. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the attack a "despicable act of terror" and demanded prosecutions. Israeli police arrested 10 suspects, though several were later released. Levine expressed low confidence in justice being served, emphasizing the need to address the leaders and organization behind the attacks.