AMMAN — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Thursday condemned the detention of Russian-Israeli journalist Andrey Khrzhanovskiy, known professionally as Andrey X, and US journalist Jasper Nathaniel by Israeli forces near Umm al-Khair in the occupied West Bank, after the two were violently assaulted by Israeli settlers on Wednesday.

Source: Committee to Protect Journalists

Videos and photographs show settlers attacking Khrzhanovskiy. Fellow freelance journalist Adele Shoko, who was with them in the Masafer Yatta area, reported that settlers beat Khrzhanovskiy until he lost consciousness multiple times and stole his phone, pepper-sprayed Nathaniel, and took her glasses. Shoko posted that settlers blocked an ambulance from evacuating Khrzhanovskiy, and claimed the journalists were denied medical treatment for their injuries.

Source: Committee to Protect Journalists

Attorney Alon Sapir told CPJ the two journalists were still in police custody at the Kiryat 4 station in Hebron, that Khrzhanovskiy had been struck on the head and required medical attention, and that as of publication the authorities had not disclosed the legal authority or circumstances for holding them, or how long the detention would last. CPJ said it emailed the Israeli police spokesperson for clarification and received no response by publication time. Police told the Times of Israel that two suspects were held for questioning over reported assault and stone-throwing.

Source: Times of Israel (police statement, via Journalism Pakistan)

“Israeli authorities can't claim to protect public safety while detaining journalists who have been attacked in the course of their work and failing to hold those responsible for the violence accountable,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “Keeping journalists in custody without clearly disclosing the legal grounds for their detention, while they may still need medical care, compounds the harm and sends a dangerous message that those documenting settler violence can themselves become targets of the authorities.”

Source: Committee to Protect Journalists

A pattern CPJ says is intensifying

CPJ said Khrzhanovskiy was also briefly detained last week while filming in Benyamin in the West Bank and released after an investigation, and that he says he faces unsubstantiated charges of “supporting a terrorist organization.” The group documented an increase in the intensity of settler attacks on journalists in the West Bank in September, and says that in 2026 alone it has reviewed at least 16 incidents involving at least 35 local and international journalists — physical attacks, harassment, obstruction and intimidation — the most recent before this week involving US photojournalist Heidi Levine, who was assaulted while covering an olive-harvest attack on October 16.

Source: Committee to Protect Journalists

Later on Thursday, activists reported that Khrzhanovskiy had been released after a court hearing, while Nathaniel's status had not been publicly confirmed. Awaaz Punjab could not independently confirm either account at the time of publication, and CPJ's statement, published Thursday morning, still listed both men as in custody.

Source: The Rest of the World Report (evening edition)