Israeli activists sit next to members of the Israeli forces on guard, as they prepare to pick olives during the harvest season at Palestinian-owned olive groves in Deir Abu Mashal, near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, October 19, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Italy calls for release of five activists held by Israel in West Bank

· The Straits Times

MILAN, Oct 23 - Italy has called for the immediate release of five Italian activists, all women, held by Israeli forces in the West Bank, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Friday.

Italian foreign ministry sources said the women were detained on Thursday by Israeli police in Kiryat Arba along with other international activists, while seeking to protect Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest.

"What happened is unacceptable, they were not committing any crime," Tajani told reporters on the sidelines of an international summit in Istanbul, adding he hoped they would be released in a matter of hours.

The women were expected to be transferred to Israel's immigration authority on Friday pending expulsion and repatriation procedures, Israeli authorities told Italian diplomats earlier in the day, according to the sources. REUTERS