DayofPal– Israeli settlers launched coordinated attacks on Palestinian farmers across several areas of the occupied West Bank on Saturday, disrupting the annual olive harvest season and injuring multiple civilians.
The assaults came amid simultaneous military raids by Israeli forces across the West Bank.
According to the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Baydar, settlers assaulted local residents harvesting olives between the towns of Az-Zawiya and Rafat, west of Salfit, beating several of them and leaving others with varying degrees of injuries.
Settlers reportedly fired live ammunition at farmers, forcing many to flee their lands, and damaged multiple Palestinian vehicles.
In Burqa, east of Ramallah, settlers under the protection of the Israeli army opened fire on olive pickers and seized their harvesting equipment.
Similar attacks were reported in the villages of Jurish and Aqraba, south of Nablus, where farmers were prevented from continuing their work.
These incidents come during the critical olive harvest season, a key economic lifeline for thousands of Palestinian families.
Every year, the harvest is marred by increasing settler violence, which aims at displacing the Palestinians and expanding illegal settlements.
Palestinian officials accuse the Israeli military of complicity in the violence, either by failing to intervene or by actively protecting the settlers.
Since the beginning of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, attacks in the West Bank has escalated sharply.
According to official Palestinian data, at least 1,051 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank since the war began, with over 10,300 others wounded. Additionally, more than 20,000 Palestinians have been arrested, including 400 children.
The international community has repeatedly condemned settler attacks and the expansion of Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law. However, attacks on Palestinian civilians and farmland continue with impunity.
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