The last of ten people detained in an Israeli police operation following attacks on European diplomats and American photojournalist Heidi Levine in the occupied West Bank has been moved from custody to house arrest, according to reporting published on 1 November 2026. No charge against any of the original ten over those assaults has been independently verified by Fish 4 News.
The Washington Post reported that Nadav Cohen Tzemach, previously the only suspect still detained, was transferred on Monday, 26 October to serve a week of house arrest. The newspaper attributed the information to his lawyer, Asaf Gonen, and said he was still under investigation but had not been charged as of late October. A subsequent report by Israel’s i24NEWS also said the final suspect had been released under restrictions.
The release is a significant development since our earlier account of nine suspects being released. It does not mean the investigation has ended, that the detainees have been cleared, or that anyone has been convicted.
What happened at the 26 October hearing?
The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court extended Tzemach’s remand on 21 October until Monday, 26 October. The subsequent Washington Post account establishes that he was transferred to house arrest on that Monday, according to his lawyer. However, Fish 4 News has not located the court’s full order or a publicly accessible transcript confirming the specific findings and conditions imposed at the hearing.
The Times of Israel initially reported that it was unclear which of the weekend incidents had prompted his detention. The Washington Post subsequently described him as implicated in the incident involving diplomats. Neither report establishes his guilt.
On 22 October, Reuters reported that nine of the original ten detainees had been released from custody, citing the Israeli legal organisation Honenu. Israeli police confirmed at that time that only one remained detained and said their investigation continued. Some releases were subject to house arrest and other restrictions. Their precise terms and any later changes have not all been independently verified.
Two attacks on separate days
Abu Falah, Friday 16 October: Masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive harvesters and others in the area of Khirbet Abu Falah, near Ramallah. Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine, who was documenting the harvest, was beaten and seriously injured despite wearing clothing identifying her as a journalist. She suffered fractures, wounds and a severe injury to her hand requiring surgery. Video recorded by witnesses shows masked attackers striking her. The United Nations separately documented injuries to Palestinian residents during the incident.
Taybeh, Saturday 17 October: A visiting party that included diplomats from Belgium, France and Poland, French mayor Bernard Baudoux, Catholic representatives and Palestinians came under attack during a harvest visit near the Christian Palestinian village of Taybeh. Witnesses described masked settlers carrying sticks and travelling on all-terrain vehicles. Footage showed the confrontation and damage to a Belgian diplomatic vehicle. Baudoux said he was knocked to the ground. UN humanitarian monitors also reported an injured Palestinian man and damage to a local home.
These were different incidents, and not everyone arrested in the subsequent police operation was accused of participating in either assault.
Who was arrested, and have charges followed?
Israeli police announced ten arrests on 19 October during Operation Olive Leaf, a joint action involving the police, Shin Bet, Border Police and the military. Later police information, reported by the Times of Israel, divided the original suspects into two associated with the Taybeh diplomatic incident, four associated with the Abu Falah assault and four investigated for other alleged offences, including entry into a Palestinian home and breaches of military closure orders.
Separate reporting also referred to an eleventh man arrested in connection with other suspected extremist conduct and a prosecutor’s statement or indictment relating to other alleged offences. That must not be counted as a charge for the attacks on the diplomats or Levine without specific supporting evidence.
As of 3 November, Fish 4 News has not verified a further arrest, an indictment for either assault, a trial ruling or a conviction of any member of the original group. That is a limit on what public reporting establishes, not a definitive statement that prosecutors have taken no further action.
What Israeli authorities, lawyers and diplomats have said
Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy said on 19 October that the law applies to everyone, regardless of identity, and pledged impartial investigations. The Israeli military separately condemned the attack on the European delegation as severe but said the visitors had not coordinated their movements with the army. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the footage alone did not establish the full sequence of events or the identity of those responsible and urged caution before assigning blame.
Lawyers from Honenu challenged the evidential basis for the arrests and described them as influenced by public pressure. Those comments are the defence’s position, not judicial findings. Israeli police sources have also claimed difficulties obtaining statements and evidence from the diplomatic visitors; Fish 4 News has not independently verified that account or obtained a response from the missions concerned.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot called for an end to impunity for violent settlers. France, Poland and the European Union condemned the violence and called for accountability. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemned the assault on Levine, and US officials visited Taybeh after the diplomatic incident. No new sanction specifically attributable to these October attacks has been independently confirmed in the sources reviewed for this report.
Palestinian olive harvesters face wider violence
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported 397 settler attacks resulting in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both between 1 and 26 October, the highest monthly figure in records dating back to 2006. Between 20 and 26 October alone, it documented 38 attacks linked to olive harvesting.
In an earlier update, OCHA recorded 272 olive-harvest-related attacks from 1 September to 19 October, including damage to more than 3,200 trees and saplings. Such incidents can prevent Palestinian families from reaching agricultural land, cause immediate financial losses and damage future harvests.
The Israeli human rights organisation Yesh Din has documented a longstanding pattern of cases closing without indictment. Amnesty International has urged governments to impose targeted sanctions and take stronger measures to protect Palestinian communities. These broader assessments do not establish responsibility in any individual criminal case.
Watch: verified video reports
Taybeh, 17 October: The Guardian filmed masked men arriving near a European diplomatic delegation and the aftermath of an assault on a visiting French mayor during the Palestinian olive harvest. Watch the Guardian’s video report on its website. The footage concerns the Taybeh incident, not the subsequent arrests or court proceedings.
Abu Falah, 16 October: In a separate video, American photojournalist Heidi Levine recounts the assault on olive harvesters and journalists near Abu Falah. Watch the Guardian’s report featuring Heidi Levine. This is a separate incident from the attack on diplomats at Taybeh.
Videos open on the original news publisher’s website because third-party video hosting restrictions prevent reliable playback directly within Fish 4 News.
What is still unknown?
The publicly available sources do not establish whether all house-arrest conditions remain in force, the complete reasoning in the 26 October court order, whether prosecutors will charge any of the original ten, or whether a diplomatic or police investigation has since produced additional evidence. These are the questions Fish 4 News will continue to monitor.
Our earlier coverage: European Diplomats Attacked in West Bank as Settler Violence Surges.
Sources
- The Washington Post, 1 November: lawyer confirms final suspect’s transfer to house arrest
- i24NEWS (Hebrew): final suspect released under restrictions
- Reuters, 22 October: nine of ten released
- Israel Police, 19 October: Operation Olive Leaf official statement
- The Times of Israel: court remand through 26 October
- UN OCHA: incidents at Abu Falah and Taybeh
- UN OCHA: late-October settler violence data
- Amnesty International: call for action on settler violence
Reporting reviewed on 3 November 2026. Release dates and legal status are attributed to the named sources and may be updated if formal court documentation emerges.
