Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive harvesters in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, with two men taken to hospital after an assault north of Ramallah. In separate incidents, olive trees burned near Nablus and Israeli troops arrested a farmer working south of Hebron, Anadolu reported.
Harvesters forced from land near Nablus
Settlers assaulted people gathering olives in Khallat Abu Huwan, an area of Beit Dajan east of Nablus, according to local sources cited by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. The sources said the attackers stole harvesting equipment and mats before forcing the farmers off their land. Originally reported by Middle East Monitor.
In nearby Salem, Israeli forces fired tear gas towards olive pickers to stop them working, according to a correspondent at the scene. Olive trees subsequently caught fire.
Firefighters from Nablus municipality put out the blaze, which burned several trees. The incidents disrupted harvesting in two villages east of the city.
Further south, local sources said settlers beat two Palestinian men gathering olives in Wadi al-Zaytoun, near the Ein Siniya military checkpoint north of Ramallah. The attackers also took the keys to a vehicle, the sources said.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society confirmed that its Ramallah teams treated both men and transported them to hospital.
Farmer detained while ploughing near Yatta
Israeli forces arrested Bader Mohammed al-Adra while he was ploughing his farmland in Deirat, east of Yatta and south of Hebron, according to the Al-Baidar human rights organization.
Al-Baidar said harassment and Israeli restrictions obstruct farmers' access to land east of Yatta. Targeting people during agricultural work threatens their income and their ability to remain on their land, the organization said.
It called for al-Adra's release and urged local and international rights groups to monitor conditions in Deirat and document violations against residents.
The incidents come amid intensified attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank since Israel's war in Gaza began in October 2023. Those attacks have included arrests, arson and damage to farmland, alongside settlement expansion and displacement.
Originally reported by Middle East Monitor.