Nablus:At least 16 Palestinians, including a woman, were injured and 55 olive trees were burned on Saturday during attacks by Israeli settlers on olive harvesters throughout the occupied West Bank, based on information from medical and local sources.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that five Palestinians were beaten by settlers while collecting olives in a field in Sebastia, north of Nablus. In Asira al-Qibliya, south of Nablus, three Palestinians sustained injuries from a settler attack, while in nearby Beit Imrin, two others were injured after being sprayed with pepper spray.

A farmer also suffered bruises after being attacked by settlers while harvesting olives in Arrabuna, east of Jenin. In Rantis, northwest of Ramallah, settlers assaulted a man, his wife, and their children with sticks, weapons, and pepper spray in the village's Al-Tin al-Shami area, resulting in injuries to five family members. During this attack, the wife was reportedly run over.

In a separate incident, settlers burned roughly 55 olive trees that were more than 40 years old on Palestinian land in the wilderness area of Abu Dis, southeast of Jerusalem. This occurred while a Palestinian farmer was harvesting olives with his family. Settlers also attempted to prevent Palestinian farmers from accessing their land east of Qalqilya by assaulting them as they were harvesting olives.

The olive harvest, an important agricultural and economic season for Palestinian towns and villages, begins in early October and runs through late November. This period often sees an increase in settler attacks and Israeli restrictions, which include physical assaults, blocked access, crop theft, and tree destruction.

The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported that more than 45,000 trees were cut down or damaged in the West Bank during the first half of 2026, with over 26,000 of these being olive trees. The commission also indicated that settlers conducted 647 attacks across the West Bank in September, resulting in the deaths of three Palestinians.

According to official Palestinian figures, approximately 750,000 Israeli settlers reside in 194 illegal settlements and 400 settlement outposts across the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. The United Nations has consistently affirmed that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law and warned that they undermine the prospects for a two-state solution.