There has been a marked increase in Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank this year, a report from Israel’s security establishment has revealed.
The report said that the Israeli police and the Shin Bet are aware of the assaults, but fail to take any action against it amid government pressure.
Israeli security data said that there were at least 704 attacks from settlers by October, compared to 675 in the entirety of 2024.
Palestinian rights groups have repeatedly warned that there has been a sharp uptick in Israeli settler attacks as well as army detentions and raids in the occupied West Bank, since the start of the war on Gaza in October 2023.
According to Israeli media, the figures equate to an average of around 70 attacks per month in 2025, compared to 56 a month last year, which was also an increase from the year before.
Security officials say the pattern is linked to settlers receiving support and the backing from extremist ministers and members of the Knesset such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
Palestinian groups have further noted that the Israeli army rarely opens investigations into settler attacks, even when there is clear evidence or when soldiers are documented taking part.
According to Haaretz, soldiers who are tasked with monitoring settler violence said they are often only sent out after the attacks end and people have dispersed, and that settlers face no repercussions.
In recent weeks, Palestinians have decried the dramatic increase in attacks against farmers amid the olive harvesting season which starts in October.
Settlers have beaten Palestinians who are picking olives - including one case where an elderly woman was clubbed on the head - set fire to olive trees, and harassed families on their land.
Since the start of this year’s harvest alone, which commenced on 19 October, at least 74 assaults against Palestinians have been documented. Last year, there were at least 57 attacks on Palestinians throughout the duration of the olive harvesting season.
On Sunday, the UN said that there has been an average of more than eight attacks per day in recent weeks, and a total of 1,485 settler assaults this year. The figures are believed to be an underestimate, as many Palestinians avoid reporting attacks out of fear of reprisal.
The Israeli army also said that 986 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the start of the war on Gaza. Meanwhile, Palestinian figures state that at least 18,500 Palestinians have been detained in the West Bank and Gaza since October 2023.