Israeli Settlers Attack Palestinian Olive Harvest, Injure AFP Photographer and Dozens

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive harvesters and journalists around Nablus, assaulting people with sticks and stones and setting cars on fire.

“An AFP photographer was injured on Friday during an attack by 'Israeli' settlers while covering the olive harvest in a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank”

Roya News

Israeli soldiers on the scene fired at Palestinians instead of stopping the settlers.

Roya News

In Beita, roughly 70 settlers beat harvesters and reporters; AFP photographer Jaafar Ashtiyeh/Ishtayeh was injured and vehicles, including his, were torched.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said 36 people were treated, including two shot with live fire.

Outlets also reported soldiers used tear gas and rubber bullets against Palestinians.

West Asian outlets name the perpetrators as illegal settlers and directly tie Israeli military actions to the injuries recorded during the harvest attacks across Beita, Huwara, and Deir Sharaf.

AFP photographer Jaafar Ashtiyeh/Ishtayeh described the assault as unprecedented in his three decades of work.

During the attack, settlers threw stones, injured him, and set his car and others on fire.

Anadolu Ajansı

AFP condemned the assault and called on the Israeli army to protect journalists and hold the perpetrators accountable.

West Asian media reported that Ashtiyeh feared for his life as settlers and soldiers injured dozens of people.

These events highlight a recurring pattern of targeting journalists who cover settler attacks on Palestinian farmers.

The attacks spanned multiple villages—Beita, Huwara, Deir Sharaf, Aqraba, Al-Lubban al-Sharqiya, Amouriya/Ammuriya, and Kafr Ni’ma—aiming to sabotage the olive harvest that sustains Palestinian families.

“Dozens of Palestinians, including journalists, were injured and six others arrested on Friday in attacks by Israeli settlers and the military in the occupied West Bank”

The New Arab

Reports note Israeli forces arrested six Palestinians amid the settler assaults, and soldiers used crowd-control weapons against Palestinians rather than stopping settler violence.

West Asian coverage situates these incidents within a broader surge of Israeli military and settler attacks across the West Bank this year.

Medical reports indicate 36 people were injured in and around Beita and nearby villages.

At least two Palestinians were shot with live ammunition during the incidents.

- IMEMC News

Other injuries included beatings, wounds from stones, and effects from tear gas inhalation.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society treated seven individuals on site, including two journalists.

The Health Ministry reported that the total number of injured reached several dozen.

Israeli soldiers used tear gas and rubber bullets against Palestinians instead of intervening to stop settlers.

Journalists and harvesters reported that settlers torched cars and caused injuries by throwing stones.

These attacks fit a broader pattern of settlers expanding under Israeli state support in the occupied West Bank.

“An AFP photojournalist was injured in an attack by Israeli settlers while covering the olive harvest in a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, AFP reported”

bgnes

Authorities often fail to restrain settler violence, especially during the olive harvest that sustains Palestinian families.

bgnes

West Asian and other sources document harvest-season assaults, arrests by Israeli forces, and a wider record of Israeli killing of Palestinians.

This includes massive death tolls in Gaza from Israeli attacks.

Some other outlets use soft terms like “clashes” and “tensions,” while West Asian reporting explicitly attributes attacks to settlers and actions to the Israeli military.