Israeli settlers attack Palestinians during West Bank olive harvest

During the 2026 olive harvest season in the occupied West Bank, violence carried out by Israeli settlers resulted in numerous injuries, with international delegations and journalists being targeted.

In an incident on October 16 in the village of Abu Falah, settlers attacked residents and peace activists; Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine was severely beaten and hospitalized. Israeli soldiers who arrived at the scene fired live ammunition at Abduljabbar Hasan, a village council member. While the army attempted to justify this intervention by claiming Hasan ran towards them with a sharp tool in his hands, local authorities denied this claim.

On October 17 in the town of Taybeh, a diplomatic delegation that included Aulnoye-Aymeries Mayor Bernard Baudoux and Cambrai Archbishop Vincent Dollmann was attacked by settlers. During the attack involving individuals with sticks, the mayor was beaten, threats were hurled, and the window of a Belgian diplomatic vehicle was smashed.

According to reports by the rights group Yesh Din, more than 170 settler attacks have been recorded since the end of September; these incidents resulted in at least four deaths and over a hundred injuries. While Israeli authorities condemned the violence and launched an investigation, calls from the international community for the perpetrators to be punished are growing.