Agricultural losses in the occupied West Bank resulting from attacks by Israeli occupation forces and Zionist settlers reached approximately $1.2 million between October 23 and 29, the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture said, as assaults on farmers and their land continue amid the ongoing olive harvest season.
In a report released Sunday, the ministry said it had documented 171 direct violations affecting 64 Palestinian farmers. It noted that the recorded damage was limited to areas accessible to its technical and field teams and did not reflect the full scale of losses, given security restrictions and difficulties moving around the territory.
Olive Trees and Agricultural Assets Destroyed
The data showed that the attacks primarily targeted agricultural productive assets, with 889 mature olive trees uprooted, broken, burned, or stripped of their harvest. Losses in the olive sector alone were estimated at $586,870.
The ministry warned that the attacks threaten the current agricultural season and inflict long-term damage on farmers’ livelihoods, particularly through the targeting of mature trees that represent an economic resource for future generations.
Video footage shows Israeli settlers processing large quantities of olives inside a press, following the looting and seizure of harvests from Palestinian lands in the West Bank. https://t.co/VHKJh5G6qR
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) October 31, 2026
Al-Khalil Among the Hardest-Hit Areas
The Al-Khalil (Hebron) governorate recorded the highest direct material losses, amounting to $301,424. The damage included the destruction of agricultural facilities and water networks, as well as preventing farmers, at gunpoint, from reaching their land and harvesting their crops.
The Ministry of Agriculture said the attacks had gone beyond property destruction to include physical assaults and gunfire targeting farmers. It said the attacks were aimed at undermining the foundations of agricultural production and the Palestinian presence in areas classified as Area C.
Escalating Attacks During Olive Harvest Season
Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Office warned that attacks targeting the olive harvest had become a tool for displacement and land seizure, further worsening the suffering of Palestinian communities.
The office had documented more than 160 attacks by settlers during the first two weeks of October, targeting olive harvesters across the West Bank, with Israeli forces either providing protection or participating in the assaults.
In the latest incident, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive pickers on Sunday, November 1, 2026, in the town of Kafr Malik, northeast of Ramallah. They chased and beat the farmers, forcing them to leave their land west of the town and preventing them from continuing the harvest.
19 Attacks in 24 Hours
Separately, the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission documented 19 attacks by Israeli occupation forces and settlers against olive harvesters and their land across seven West Bank governorates over the past 24 hours.
The attacks included the beating of farmers and the arrest of one Palestinian while harvesting olives, the detention of families and threats against them at gunpoint, the theft of crops and agricultural equipment, damage to vehicles and property, the denial of access to farmland, and the uprooting of olive trees and destruction of agricultural land.
In Qalqilya governorate, Zionist settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles near the entrance to the village of Kafr Laqif, east of the governorate, while Israeli forces set up a military checkpoint that obstructed Palestinian movement.
397 Settler Attacks Across the West Bank in 26 Days
Zionist Settler attacks across the West Bank totaled 397 between October 1 and 26, marking a record high since UN documentation began in 2006, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
In its report on the humanitarian situation, OCHA said it had documented 62 attacks during the final week of the reporting period, affecting 49 Palestinian communities. Thirty-eight of those incidents were linked to the olive harvest season.
The office added that 57 Palestinians, including nine children, were injured during the same week in attacks by Zionist settlers and Israeli occupation forces. Of those, 23 were injured by settlers and 34 by Israeli gunfire or other attacks by Israeli forces. Among the injured, 27 were hurt in the context of settler attacks, including 18 during assaults targeting olive harvesters.
The attacks included assaults on farmers, the destruction of trees and agricultural equipment, the theft of crops, and preventing Palestinians from reaching their land or forcing them to leave it, amid continued escalation during the olive harvest season.
Source: Agencies (translated and edited by Al-Manar)