West Bank Olive Harvest Sees Highest Level of Settler Attacks in Five Years
This year’s olive harvest season in the occupied West Bank has turned into a period of tension and fear, recording the highest number of Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian farmers in the past five years, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
In its Humanitarian Situation Report No. 335, published on October 31, 2025, OCHA said that the 2025 harvest season witnessed 126 documented incidents involving settler violence against Palestinian farmers between October 1 and 27, affecting around 70 Palestinian towns and villages across the West Bank.
The report noted that these incidents included theft of olive crops, destruction of harvesting equipment, and the uprooting or burning of trees, with more than 4,000 olive trees and saplings reportedly vandalized during the same period.
According to the data, around 48% of the attacks occurred in central West Bank areas, 38% in the north, and 14% in the south, particularly in the Bethlehem and Hebron governorates.
OCHA further highlighted that the number of incidents recorded in the 2025 season more than doubled compared with previous years, when the number of attacks during harvest seasons between 2020 and 2023 ranged from 30 to 46.
The olive harvest is considered a vital economic and cultural cornerstone for Palestinian communities, providing income for thousands of families. However, the growing frequency of such attacks — analysts warn — threatens both the economic stability and the preservation of this deeply rooted agricultural heritage.
Key Statistics:
126 documented settler attacks during the 2025 olive harvest season.
More than 4,000 olive trees and saplings vandalized.
70 Palestinian towns and villages affected.
Highest number of incidents recorded in the past five years.
Sources:
UN OCHA – Humanitarian Situation Update No. 335, October 31, 2025
Reuters – “West Bank farmers gather precious olives as harvest season brings new settler attacks”
Al Jazeera – “Israeli army, settlers target Palestinian olive harvesters in West Bank”
Associated Press (AP) – “Israeli settlers beat Palestinian farmers on video as attacks mount during West Bank olive harvest”
