This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published by Associated Press photographers in the Middle East, Afghanistan & Pakistan Region between Oct. 15-21, 2020.
This week’s selection includes scenes across the region, where women were trampled to death when a stampede broke out among thousands of Afghans waiting in a soccer stadium to get visas to Pakistan. In Israel, ultra-Orthodox Jews protested the government's coronavirus measures while maintaining social distance, and protests also resumed outside of the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem following coronavirus lockdown measures. In Iraq, pro-Iranian militia torched a Kurdish headquarters in response to televised comments by a senior Kurdish government official calling for the ouster of the militias from the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad.
The gallery was curated by AP Middle East Deputy News Director for Photography & Storytelling Dusan Vranic.
Afghans wait to collect their passports with Pakistani visas inthe city of Jalalabad east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. At least 11 women were trampled to death when a stampede broke out among thousands of Afghans waiting in a soccer stadium to get visas to Pakistan, officials said. (AP PhotoWali Sabawoon)
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Ultra-Orthodox Jews keep social distance amid concerns over the country's coronavirus outbreak, during a protest to what they say is incitement against the city and country's religious population, in the southern Israeli city of Arad, Monday, Oct 19, 2020. Ultra-Orthodox communities have been hard hit by the coronavirus, in part because of their refusal to honor public safety rules, sparking widespread anger and criticism. (AP PhotoOded Balilty)
A protester takes pictures of a protest symbol that was set on fire by the supporters of former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, after a small demonstration had denounced the naming of Hariri as a potential candidate as the country's new prime minister, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. Hariri resigned a year ago amid nationwide protests against government corruption and mismanagement of Lebanon's resources. (AP PhotoHussein Malla)
A Yemeni prisoner, center, performs a traditional dance during his arrival after being released by the Saudi-led coalition at the airport in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. Yemen's warring sides completed a major, U.N.-brokered prisoner swap on Friday, officials said, a development that could revive the country's stalled peace process after more than five years of grinding conflict. (AP PhotoHani Mohammed)
Ultra-Orthodox Jews pray covered in prayer shawls in divided sections which allow a maximum of twenty worshipers, next to their house as synagogues are closed following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, in Bnei Brak, Israel, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (AP PhotoOded Balilty)
Israeli Police officers drag a protester as they forcibly clear the square outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, early Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (AP PhotoAriel Schalit)
People enjoy the day on the beach, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Oct 18, 2020. Movement limitations were lifted and some businesses reopened Sunday as Israel relaxed some restrictions imposed during a month long nationwide lockdown. (AP PhotoOded Balilty)
Israeli Police officers drag a protester as they forcibly clear the square outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, early Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (AP PhotoAriel Schalit)
A woman is tested for the coronavirus by a healthcare worker at a COVID-19 testing center, set up at a basketball court, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Tuesday, Oct 20, 2020. (AP PhotoOded Balilty)
Supporters of the Pakistan Democratic Movement take part in an anti government rally in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. Protests took place in a campaign against Prime Minister Imran Khan to force him step down over what they say is his failure in handling the nation's ailing economy. (AP PhotoFareed Khan)