ISRAELI OCCUPIED WEST BANK, 27 Oct. - (ANA) - Three Palestinian farmers were injured on Saturday after being attacked by Israeli settlers in the southern area of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, amid rising incidents of settler violence during this year’s olive harvest. 

 

Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that armed settlers assaulted olive pickers with sticks and unleashed dogs in the Wadi al-Hajj Issa area of Aqraba, injuring three people and forcing farmers to flee their lands. 

 

The latest assault brings the total number of Palestinians injured by settler attacks on Saturday to ten.

 

In the nearby town of Duma, Israeli soldiers continued to prevent Palestinians from reaching their olive groves, village council head Suleiman Dawabsha said. Settlers have repeatedly attacked local farmers, stealing olives, vandalising trees, and grazing livestock on private land, Dawabsha told Anadolu.

 

At least six separate incidents have been recorded during the 2025 olive harvest involving Palestinians being denied access to their land, attacked by settlers, or suffering vandalism, according to AFP.

 

Israeli assaults on Palestinians in rural areas have reportedly reached new heights this year, fuelled by expanding settlements and a growing settler population. 

 

The Palestinian Authority’s Agriculture Minister has called on the international community to protect farmers and harvesters. 

 

"It’s the worst season in the last 60 years," said Agriculture Minister Rizq Salimia at a press briefing, adding that this year’s crop has already been poor due to adverse weather conditions. 

 

Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Palestinian territories, condemned what he described as "severe attacks" during this year’s harvest and denounced "dangerous levels of impunity" for the perpetrators. 

 

The annual olive harvest has in recent years become marked by escalating violence from Israeli settlers and troops - incidents widely documented by Palestinian farmers and international activists. 

 

The harvest season, which began in October and runs until mid-November, holds deep cultural and national significance for Palestinians, who view the olive tree as a symbol of resilience and identity. 

 

The occupied West Bank is home to over eight million olive trees, serving around three million Palestinians, according to the Agriculture Ministry’s 2021 census. 

 

Every autumn, Palestinian farmers - along with city residents whose families own a few trees - head to the fields to hand-pick olives. 

 

The UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA reported that 27 West Bank villages were affected by harvest-related attacks between 7 and 13 October alone. 

 

"The incidents included attacks on harvesters, theft of crops and equipment, and vandalism of olive trees, resulting in casualties, property damage, or both," OCHA said. 

 

In the first week of this year’s olive harvest alone, more than 150 settler attacks were recorded, and over 700 olive trees were uprooted, broken, or poisoned, according to Muayyad Shaaban, head of a Palestinian Authority office monitoring settlement activity. 

 

Settler violence has surged across the West Bank, particularly since the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza on 7 October, 2023. 

 

As concerns mount among UN bodies and human rights groups over the safety of Palestinian farmers, recent incidents have underscored the severity of settler violence during this time of the year.  

 

Last week’s assault in the town of Turmus Ayya saw Palestinian olive harvesters and activists attacked by settlers wielding clubs, leaving at least one woman hospitalised with serious injuries.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/27 October 2025 - - -