Israeli settlers carry out over 150 assaults during olive harvest season, brutally attack Palestinian woman

Israeli settlers and soldiers have carried out over 150 assaults on Palestinians since the start of the olive harvest season, which commences in October, with the latest attack targeting a 55-year-old woman who was later hospitalised after she was struck on the head and body.

A local Palestinian official told reporters that they have documented 158 assaults on Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank, while almost 800 olive trees, which are a source of livelihood for Palestinians, were also destroyed in the attacks.

Muayyar Shaaban, the head of the Palestinian Authority’s Settlement and Wall Resistance Commission, said that 17 of the documented attacks were carried out by the Israeli army while the rest were by settlers.

The targeting of farmers has taken place across governorates in the West Bank, with most of them in Nablus, followed by Ramallah and then Hebron.

Israeli settlers have long harassed, beaten and abused Palestinians on their land during olive harvesting season, while farmers have also had their movement restricted.

The uprooting and damage to olive trees are a major blow to Palestinians, who use them not only for food, but also for the production of olive oil, cosmetics and other products. Some of the trees are over a century old, making them particularly dear to owners.

According to Shaaban, this year marks "one of the most difficult and dangerous in decades," noting the sharp escalation in the attacks by settlers and the army.

He went on to accuse Israel of systematically targeting Palestinians during the olive harvesting season due to the historical bond between Palestinians and their land.

He said it was a "clear and declared plan to control Palestinian geography and deny Palestinians access to their lands".

Horrific attack on elderly woman

On Sunday morning, a masked Jewish settler struck a 55-year-old Palestinian woman called Afaf Abu Alia on the head as she was picking olives on her land, hospitalising her.

The unprovoked attack took place in the village of Turmusayya in the occupied West Bank.

The attack was captured on video by a US journalist called Jasper Nathaniel, with the footage since going viral on social media.

The video shows the settler holding a large metal club, which he swings around before smashing it into Abu Alia’s head. He then repeats the action twice more, despite the mother of five falling to the ground after the first hit.

Nathaniel confirmed that the woman was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground.

An elderly Palestinian woman was assaulted and injured this morning by Israeli settler militias during the olive harvest in the town of Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah. pic.twitter.com/UPjYCG9rPp

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 19, 2025

He also stated that Israeli soldiers had been in the area before the attack, and noted that they "sped off" directly before the settlers carried out the assaults.

Nathaniel later took to social media to say that he spoke to a US embassy official, who then told him that they were not in a position to offer him or other US citizens in the area protection.

Turmusayya is home to many Palestinians who hold US citizenship or residency, with some reports stating the figure amounts to 80 percent.

In the same area, at least one car was torched, and other vehicles had their windows smashed.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs states that over 3,200 Palestinians have been wounded in settler attacks in the West Bank this year alone.