UN warns of surge in Israeli settler attacks during olive harvest

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) has documented 71 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank, in just one week.

Ocha says half of those assaults targeted the ongoing olive harvest, impacting residents from 27 villages across multiple governorates.

The settler violence left 99 Palestinians injured and caused extensive damage to farmland and harvesting equipment, a deliberate blow to one of the region’s most vital economic lifelines.

The UN says the data points to a dangerous escalation compared to previous olive harvest seasons, with settlers acting with increasing impunity under Israeli military protection.