Ramallah:At least 12 Palestinians and two foreign journalists were injured in attacks by Israeli occupiers across the West Bank on Friday. The assaults also resulted in four vehicles being set on fire, including one belonging to the Palestinian Civil Defense.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, the Civil Defense, and the Palestinian rights group Al-Baydar reported injuries in several locations, including Abu Falah, Burham, Deir Jarir, Burqa, and Turmus Ayya in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate. In Burham, a 70-year-old man was treated for injuries after being assaulted, while similar incidents in Deir Jarir left three Palestinians injured and in need of medical care.
In Abu Falah, a 63-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man were injured during an attack on farmers harvesting olives. They were subsequently taken to a hospital for treatment. In Burqa, four injuries were reported after attacks on Palestinian farmers, with injuries sustained to their heads, backs, and hands. A foreign journalist was pepper-sprayed during the assault.
In Turmus Ayya, reports indicated that Israeli occupiers attacked olive pickers and set three Palestinian vehicles ablaze. Warning sirens were sounded to alert the residents. American journalist and international solidarity activist Heidi Levine was injured in an attack and was taken to Al-Istishari Hospital for treatment. A member of the Civil Defense also sustained bruises when responding to the burning vehicles, and a Civil Defense vehicle was set on fire during the attack.
The Palestinian Civil Defense warned that targeting emergency personnel and vehicles poses a significant threat to efforts aimed at protecting lives and property. Additional attacks were reported in Rammun, where Palestinian farmers were assaulted during the olive harvest, and in Qabalan, where a Palestinian woman was physically assaulted and had her olive harvest stolen. Similar incidents occurred in the eastern part of Burin village, Majdal Bani Fadil, and Arraba.
The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission documented 136 attacks linked to the olive harvest since October, involving beatings, expulsions, theft, and damage to property. These attacks have intensified since the beginning of Israel's genocide in Gaza, severely impacting the olive harvest, a critical source of income for Palestinian families in the West Bank.