Over 2,300 Israeli settler, IOF attacks targeted W. Bank in October
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Palestinian officials report that over 2,300 settler and occupation forces attacks took place in the West Bank in October, with the olive harvest season facing escalated violence.
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Israeli settlers block the main road that goes through Palestinian olive groves and take pictures of foreign activists and farmers while they are harvesting their olive trees, in the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya on October 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
The Palestinian Authority’s Commission against the Wall and Settlements reported that Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and settlers carried out a total of 2,350 attacks in the occupied West Bank during October, continuing a relentless campaign of violence against Palestinians, their land, and property.
According to Mu’ayyad Sha’ban, head of the commission, 1,584 of the attacks were committed by occupation forces, while settlers were responsible for 766 attacks.
The report revealed that the attacks were heaviest in the governorates of Ramallah and al-Bireh (542), Nablus (412), and Al-Khalil (401), indicating a concentrated effort to disrupt Palestinian life in key areas of the occupied territory.
The violence has coincided with the annual olive harvest season, a time when attacks historically spike. The commission documented incidents including direct physical assaults, the uprooting and burning of olive trees, obstruction of access to agricultural land, and the seizure of property.
Trees destroyed, lands seized, homes demolished
Reuters, citing Palestinian and United Nations officials, reported that settler attacks during the olive harvest season continue unabated, with Palestinian farmers and their families facing escalating threats and intimidation.
According to the commission’s monthly findings, attacks included not only assaults but also widespread destruction: homes and agricultural facilities were demolished, and vast areas of Palestinian land were closed off under the pretext of so-called "security measures."
These closures often pave the way for settler expansion, carried out with the full backing of occupation forces. The report also confirmed that more than 15,000 trees have been attacked since the beginning of October 2024, further damaging Palestinian livelihoods and the local environment.
The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture has documented a 17% increase in financial losses sustained by West Bank farmers from January through mid-October 2025, compared to the same period last year. The ministry attributes the rise to systematic settler aggression and land seizure, particularly during the critical harvest period.
On Tuesday, field sources in the occupied West Bank reported that Israeli settlers assaulted Palestinian farmers and greenhouse owners east of Beit Dajan, a town located near Nablus.
According to the same sources, IOF also raided the town of al-Yamoun, west of Jenin, where they conducted search operations and set up military checkpoints across several neighborhoods, restricting residents’ movement.
These incidents are part of a broader and intensifying campaign of aggression across the West Bank, where Israeli occupation forces and settlers routinely target Palestinian civilians, agricultural lands, and homes. Observers say such actions reflect a deliberate policy aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians, seizing more territory, and expanding illegal settlements, in clear violation of international law.
