Violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank has intensified dramatically in recent weeks, particularly targeting Palestinian farmers during the crucial olive harvest season.

According to UN records, October saw over 260 attacks by settlers, marking the highest number in a single month since monitoring began in 2006.

Farmers across the West Bank are facing organized and repeated assaults. The Palestinian Farmers' Union reported that violence against its members has quadrupled, with incidents rising from a few daily occurrences to dozens. The group emphasized that these are not isolated or random acts but part of a broader effort to destabilize Palestinian rural life.

In recent days, settlers have vandalized cars near Sinjil, raided farmlands close to Mughayyir, and assaulted farmers in Beit Furik, east of Nablus. Near Beit Duqqu, agricultural workers and olive pickers were attacked. Similar incidents were reported in al-Farisiyah, Aqraba, and villages outside Qalqilya, where settlers burned olive trees and blocked access to farmland.

Israeli occupation forces and Israeli settlers continue their aggression on Palestinians and their belongings in the occupied #WestBank and al-Quds.

From storming towns to attacking vehicles, shooting at Palestinians, and detaining them, the aggression intensifies every day.… pic.twitter.com/PByAtINMe1

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 16, 2025

On November 12, in the town of Beit Lid, a group of masked settlers ransacked a light industrial park, torched 10 vehicles, and injured four Palestinians. Mahmoud Edeis, a local resident, expressed the toll of the ongoing fear to The Guardian: "It can’t be that we keep living our whole lives in a state of fear and danger."

 

 

 

 

 

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One day later, a mosque in Deir Istiya was defaced and set ablaze. 

Israeli settler mobs set fire to a mosque located between the towns of Deir Istiya and Kifl Haris in Salfit, occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/Yr8moQ1sLi

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 13, 2025

Israeli forces back settler crimes

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed a "minority" of settlers for the violence and promised action. However, human rights organizations say such statements are not matched by law enforcement. Statistics show that only one in 20 investigations into settler violence result in charges, with even fewer leading to convictions. Local media reported that three of the four suspects arrested over the Beit Lid assault were later released.

At the same time, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank has surged. In the past two weeks alone, seven people were killed by live fire, including a 19-year-old man near Nablus. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that six teenagers, aged between 15 and 17, were also killed in separate incidents. Since October 7, 2023, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East al-Quds, including more than 200 children.

A 19-year-old Palestinian, Hassan Sharkasi, was killed overnight after Israeli occupation forces stormed the Askar refugee camp, East of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, according to the #Palestinian Red Crescent.

Sharkasi was struck with live ammunition in the chest during… pic.twitter.com/Qo1kTWM5WQ

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 16, 2025

Tightening measures on olive harvest season, economic fallout

Once generating an annual income of $130 million, the olive sector has suffered significant setbacks. More than 160,000 Palestinians depend on olive cultivation and its byproducts, either as a primary source of income or supplementary livelihood.

However, the destruction of olive groves, coupled with severe access restrictions and continuous settler violence, has disrupted the harvest across large parts of the West Bank. These conditions have left vast areas of farmland untended, threatening not just this season's yield but the long-term sustainability of a vital part of the Palestinian economy.

Efforts by solidarity activists to support Palestinian farmers have also been obstructed. Last month, over 30 volunteers from Europe and the US were detained near Nablus while trying to assist with the olive harvest. They were imprisoned and later deported. Hanna Uihlein, a UK-based volunteer, described the treatment to The Guardian as "dehumanizing" and aimed at suppressing international solidarity.

It is the tree of life, but in #OccupiedPalestine and #SouthLebanon, it has become a target for Israeli occupation forces and settlers.

Burned, uprooted, and stolen, the olive tree stands at the heart of a war that’s far deeper than it seems. Why does "Israel" fear it so much?… pic.twitter.com/M4tk7HM998

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 24, 2025

New attacks reported overnight in Beit Lahm, Jenin

Local Palestinian media reported that overnight, dozens of settlers launched a large-scale attack on the village of al-Jab’a, southwest of Beit Lahm, setting vehicles on fire and assaulting several homes.

At dawn, Israeli forces stormed Barta‘a, northwest of Jenin, and carried out raids in Beit Lahm. Dr. Mohammad Ahmad al-Balboul was arrested from his home in the al-Fawaghra neighborhood, and another young man, Ahmad Faraj, was detained during a separate raid on Aida Refugee Camp.

في هجوم واسع.. عشرات المستوطنين يحرقون مركبات ويهاجمون منازل في قرية الجبعة، جنوب غرب بيت لحم. pic.twitter.com/MxjRXAcHk8

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) November 18, 2025

Raid into Nablus 

At dawn, Israeli occupation forces stormed the city of Nablus and several nearby villages and towns, conducting house raids and searches.

According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, occupation forces raided the village of Odala, where they stormed a house and a commercial shop and seized surveillance camera recordings.

The sources added that the forces also stormed the village of Qaryut and the town of al-Badhan, searching several homes. In the city of Nablus, multiple neighborhoods were raided, including al-Ein refugee camp, Rafidia, Beit Wazan, and the al-Basateen area. Several homes were searched, though no arrests were reported.

In a separate incident, the occupation forces arrested two young men at dawn during a raid on al-Jalazoun refugee camp. Simultaneously, forces stormed several towns and villages in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorates.

Meanwhile, the occupation set up a military checkpoint at the entrance to the town of Hizma, northeast of occupied al-Quds. The al-Quds Governorate reported that soldiers stopped vehicles and checked the IDs of passengers, severely disrupting movement and causing a major traffic jam.