Israeli settlers launch fresh attacks on Palestinians in West Bank

Israeli settlers launch fresh attacks on Palestinians in West Bank

Dozens of Israeli settlers on Tuesday launched coordinated arson attacks on Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to a warehouse, a Bedouin village, and farmland in the latest wave of violence that has gripped the region.

Several Palestinians were injured in the attacks, which occurred near Tulkarm and Nablus in the northern West Bank. The violence coincides with the ongoing olive harvest season, a time when tensions between Palestinian farmers and Israeli settlers often spike.

Footage from the scene showed masked men torching lorries and a warehouse in Beit Lid, while tents burned in the Bedouin village of Deir Sharaf as residents fled in panic.

Palestinian Authority official Muayyad Shaaban, who heads the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, described the attacks as part of a campaign to create “a hostile environment through intimidation and terror.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said soldiers were dispatched to disperse the confrontation and arrested several suspects, but confirmed that troops were later attacked by settlers, who damaged a military vehicle. Israeli police said four suspects had been arrested.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the attacks as “shocking and serious,” warning that violence against civilians and soldiers “crosses a red line.” The head of the IDF Central Command, Major-General Avi Bluth, also described the incidents as “unacceptable” and vowed firm action against those responsible.

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The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said October recorded the highest number of settler attacks in nearly two decades, with more than 260 incidents — an average of eight per day. So far this year, about 1,500 settler attacks have been documented, including 150 during the olive harvest, resulting in more than 140 Palestinian injuries and the destruction of over 4,000 trees across 77 villages.

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned that Israel’s failure to prevent or punish such attacks “is inconsistent with international law,” stressing that “impunity cannot prevail.”

On Tuesday, hundreds of mourners gathered in Beita, near Nablus, for the funeral of 13-year-old Aysam Mualla, who died after weeks in a coma caused by tear gas inhalation during clashes between villagers and Israeli troops last month.

In recent days, settlers have also attacked Palestinian olive harvesters and volunteers, including Israeli peace activists and journalists. Videos from Beita showed masked men beating farmers, medics, and a 77-year-old Israeli activist who joined the harvest.

In nearby Burin, settlers assaulted harvesters and an off-duty IDF reservist assisting them, while also stealing bags of olives. The IDF later confirmed that “several Israeli civilians threw stones” at Palestinians during the incident.

Meanwhile, Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank has reached a record level. According to watchdog group Peace Now, tenders for 5,667 new housing units have been issued in 2025 — the highest figure ever — expected to accommodate about 25,000 settlers.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who oversees civilian affairs in the West Bank, has accelerated settlement expansion and vowed to “de facto annex” the territory to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state.

Israel has built around 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — home to about 700,000 settlers — alongside 3.3 million Palestinians. Under international law, all Israeli settlements in occupied territory are considered illegal.

 

Israeli settlers launch fresh attacks on Palestinians in West Bank