At least 19 Palestinians were injured across the West Bank on Friday as Israeli settlers carried out 34 coordinated attacks targeting farmers, their lands, and crops, according to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission.
The widespread violence spanned six governorates—including Ramallah, Nablus, Salfit, Jenin, Tulkarm, and Hebron—and involved physical assaults, detentions, the theft of olives and agricultural equipment, and the destruction of property, the Palestinian WAFA news agency reported.
Children, women, elderly individuals, journalists, and rescue workers were among those targeted during the incidents, which took place amidst the critical olive harvest season. In addition to physical injuries, several farmers suffered breathing difficulties, likely due to tear gas or smoke.
The commission documented the distribution of the attacks, recording 15 incidents in Ramallah and Al-Bireh, 13 in Nablus, two in each of Salfit and Jenin, and one each in Tulkarm and Hebron. Officials noted that these figures are preliminary and subject to ongoing verification.
In the Ramallah and Al-Bireh region, violence was reported in multiple localities, including Turmus Ayya, Abu Falah, Burqa, Deir Jarir, Abwein, Birzeit, Barham, Al-Taybeh, Ramon, and Kafr Niima. Notably, an 8-year-old and a 12-year-old brother, along with their 45-year-old father, were injured while harvesting olives in Burqa. Two foreign journalists, including American photojournalist Heidi Levine of The Washington Post, were also injured in the same area.
Further north in the Nablus Governorate, three farmers were injured in Asira Al-Qibliya, and two were assaulted in Beita. Additional attacks and thefts of olive crops were reported in Qabalan, Burin, Majdal Bani Fadil, and Aqraba. In Wadi Abwein, settlers reportedly attacked olive pickers under Israeli military protection, stealing their crops and equipment before forcing them to leave the area.
Israeli forces were also actively involved in disrupting agricultural work. In the southern plain of Al-Lubban Ash-Sharqiya, forces forced farmers away and seized their crops. Similar forced evacuations occurred in Salfit Governorate, where settlers assaulted olive pickers west of Deir Ballut, followed by military orders for farmers to abandon their lands. In Wadi Qana, near Deir Istiya, Israeli forces detained two brothers harvesting olives and fired tear gas at farmers north of Salfit city.
In Jenin Governorate, farmers were displaced from their land in Jalbun, and two individuals, Murad and Qais Darar, were detained while picking olives in Barta’a. In Shufa, within the Tulkarm Governorate, Israeli forces detained farmers, bound them, and seized their phones, identity cards, and crops.
Property damage was extensive, with five vehicles reported burned—including four in Turmus Ayya, one of which was a Civil Defense vehicle, and one in Asira Al-Qibliya. Additionally, two vehicles were seized in Abwein.
The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission warned that these ongoing attacks, combined with severe access restrictions and the detention of farmers, are devastating local agricultural livelihoods and deeply jeopardizing the annual olive harvest. The commission has called on international and local authorities to implement protective measures, guarantee safe access to farmland, and hold those responsible for these violations accountable.