Brad Lander said Wednesday that Israeli forces detained him in the occupied West Bank, according to NBC News and Fox News. Lander is the Democratic nominee for New York's 10th Congressional District. He said he was helping Palestinian farmers harvest olives with a group of volunteers. He later said he was released with a warning, NBC News reported.

"I've been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis & volunteers," Lander posted on X, Fox News reported. "We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nehalim in the West Bank."

Lander said the group included more than 40 international volunteers and 28 Israelis, NBC News reported. He said Israeli authorities called the group's actions illegal. They said the group was "causing a disturbance of public order," according to Lander. "But I assure you, all we were doing was harvesting olives," he said. He said the group was not asked to leave first, and "we would have left" if it had been.

The Israel Defense Forces gave a different account in a statement reported by NBC News. It said soldiers, border police and other officers detained the harvesters "due to the security risk posed by conducting an uncoordinated harvest near an Israeli community." It said harvesting there requires a request to the authorities before the season starts. That coordination is needed "to ensure the security of the area and maintain public order," the military said.

NPR reported that Israeli forces declared the area a closed military zone. The military said Lander "was released once the matter was brought to our attention," according to NPR. Lander said in an interview with NPR and WBUR's Here & Now, "There's no obligation to coordinate with the Israeli military." Israel's Foreign Ministry accused Lander of a political "stunt," NPR and The Times of Israel reported.

Protect the Harvest is one of the groups behind the effort. Its spokesperson said all but four of those detained had been released, NBC News reported. A later NPR update said several dozen others were still detained.

Lander, a former New York City comptroller, beat Representative Dan Goldman in this year's primary. He is backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Fox News reported.

What we know: Lander says he was detained while harvesting olives, and the Israeli military says the harvest was not coordinated.
What we don't: How many volunteers remain in custody and whether any will face charges.