11 Palestinians wounded in West Bank settler attacks during olive harvest

Eleven Palestinians required medical treatment following a series of attacks by armed Israeli settlers across multiple locations in the occupied West Bank on Saturday. The incidents occurred during the critical olive harvest season and involved coordinated assaults on farmers and residents in several villages.

Multiple locations targeted

According to Palestinian official sources, the violence began when armed settlers attacked residents near Al-Minya village southeast of Bethlehem, injuring three people with live fire to their lower limbs. Simultaneously, settlers assaulted olive harvesters in Burin village south of Nablus and attacked farmers on Mount Qamas east of Beita town. Additional raids targeted the Khirbet Makhul community in the Jordan Valley and the Al-Ma'azi Bedouin community east of Jaba town.

Systematic agricultural disruption

Local officials described systematic efforts to disrupt Palestinian agriculture during the economically vital harvest period. Zayed Kawazbeh, head of the Al-Minya village council, reported that settlers brought livestock to graze among Palestinian olive trees in what he characterized as "a deliberate provocation aimed at displacing residents and seizing lands." The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented settlers setting fire to olive trees and stealing harvested crops in several locations.

Military protection and escalating violence

Palestinian authorities reported that Israeli military forces were present during multiple attacks and provided protection to the settlers. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that medical teams at Rafidia Governmental Hospital in Nablus treated eight casualties from assaults in Tell, Burin, and Sebastia towns. UN data indicates this harvest season has seen the highest level of settler violence since 2020, with 126 attacks recorded across 70 Palestinian communities and over 4,000 olive trees damaged or destroyed.