Arabic version: مستوطنون يهاجمون قاطفي الزيتون في الضفة الغربية واحتجاز صحفيين

According to Al Jazeera, Israeli settlers under the Israeli army’s protection attacked Palestinian olive pickers, burned olive trees and detained dozens of people across the occupied West Bank on Saturday. The attacks targeted groves in Abu Dis, Awarta and the az-Zahra area of Beita, among other locations.

An activist from California who was volunteering with Palestinian communities during the olive harvest said about 50 masked settlers approached after the group arrived in the morning. The activist, who asked to remain anonymous, said the settlers threw stones and attacked a house before soldiers arrived, rounded up Palestinians and activists harvesting olives, and ordered the activists to leave.

The activist said those rounded up were made to sit on the ground at gunpoint. In Beita, south of Nablus, Israeli forces detained and assaulted journalists in the Jabal Qamass area, Al Jazeera reported. Footage also showed settlers smashing a Palestinian vehicle in Osarin, while other video showed armed settlers attacking a Palestinian home in Beita.

In Osarin, in the Nablus area, settlers fired tear gas at Palestinians and journalists, attacked homes, stoned vehicles and assaulted several villagers, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Palestinian media reported that residents tried to repel the attacks, which it described as part of a wider escalation of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank since February.

Since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023, Israelis have killed 1,212 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 254 children, Al Jazeera reported. Most of the killings were carried out by soldiers, while more than a quarter were committed by settlers. Palestinian authorities said settlers have killed 30 Palestinians since the start of 2026, the highest annual figure since 2022.