Over the past two days, Israeli settlers’ attacks on Palestinian olive farmers have been reported in at least three locations in occupied West Bank.
Israeli settlers’ have attacked olive farmers and torched cars in the central West Bank town of Turmus Ayya, nearby village of al-Mughayyir, and Palestinian Christian town of Taybeh near West Bank’s capital of Ramallah, according to Palestinians and independent reporting.
In videos of one of these attacks, a masked Israeli settler wearing a tzitzit —a Jewish ritual garment— is seen repeatedly bludgeoning an elderly Palestinian woman on her head. The woman is said to be in treatment at an intensive care unit.
Many horrific videos appeared out of the West Bank on Sunday, as crowds of Israeli settlers reportedly attacked and severely beat dozens of Palestinian olive farmers near the town of Turmus Ayya in Ramallah and al-Bireh. One video, filmed by an American journalist who was… pic.twitter.com/ouQmFlR5va
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) October 19, 2025
In the ongoing wave of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in West Bank that has surged since 2023, this is the latest such attack that appears to be specifically aimed at disrupting the olive farming, which is critical for the economy of Palestinian villages and rural towns.
In occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, there are at least 147 Israeli settlements and 224 outposts where around 730,000 Jews live, according to a United Nations (UN) report. These settlements and outposts are illegal under international law. These Israeli communities occupy around 40 per cent of West Bank.
Israeli settlers’ rampage in West Bank
In the latest rampage in West Bank, Israeli settlers’ attacks were caught on camera attacking Palestinian farmers and their vehicles.
On Sunday, settlers from nearly Jewish settlements and outposts attacked olive farmers in Turmus Ayya and nearby village of al-Mughayyir, according to The Times of Israel.
In an act caught on camera by American writer Jasper Nathaniel (video clips embedded above), a man wearing a settler wearing a tzitzit —a Jewish ritual garment— repeatedly attacked a woman, identified as 52-year-old Afaf Abu Olia, on the head. She was left bleeding and severely injured.
Settlers set at least three vehicles on fire, according to ToI.
Brutal settler attack in Turmus’ayya olive fields. Many injuries, including a woman knocked unconscious with a club and beaten repeatedly (2nd photo). The IDF lured us into an ambush, I have it all on video. Will upload as soon as I have good service. pic.twitter.com/RRF0pKDvK4
— jasper nathaniel (@infinite_jaz) October 19, 2025
Afaf’s brother-in-law, Ayman Abu ‘Olia, 48, who was also one of the Palestinians attacked, told the newspaper that he had gone to harvest olives on his family’s land and was in his car when settlers mounted the attack. He said at least 45 settlers were part of the attack.
“We went on Sunday morning to pick olives in Area B [of the West Bank]. I’ve been harvesting olives there for 30 years. It’s not an area that Palestinians are forbidden to enter. About 45 settlers, masked and carrying clubs, smashed my car and beat me,” said Ayman.
Ayman said Afaf was in an ICU in a hospital in Ramallah. He said that she could not run because of her poor health.
In the third attack, locals said that Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive farmers in the Christian town of Taybeh, which is located just north of Ramallah.
A local who witnessed the attack at Taybeh, who requested anonymity, told ToI, that settlers approached olive-pickers and assaulted them with wooden and iron clubs at around midday. He said they also stole agricultural equipment.
The local said that olive produce was set to be produce even before settlers began their attacks.
“Unfortunately, the season is very weak. It is not a good season because we weren’t able to prepare the land properly. With the attacks of the settlers, this will be the third season we won’t be able to properly harvest the olives. We will not have a lot of olive oil this year,” the local said.
Settlers’ attacks have “put fear in the hearts of our people”, the local further said.
Rising settler attacks in West Bank
Since 2023, when the Hamas-led attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza, Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians have risen to unprecedented levels in West Bank.
Between October 2023 and October 2025, there have been at least 2,946 settlers’ attacks on Palestinians in West Bank, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
These attacks have continued to rise. Last year, there were 1,449 attacks and there had been 1,069 attacks till last week. For context, there were less than 500 attacks every year during 2015-20.
These attacks have included physical assaults, shooting, arson, uprooting of olive trees and other agricultural damage, and theft.
So far this year, at least five Palestinians have been killed and 473 injured in settler attacks, according to OCHA.
End of Article
