Settler attacks reported across West Bank as Palestinians begin olive harvest

Palestinians harvesting olives were attacked and property was damaged in several locations across the West Bank on Saturday, according to Palestinian reports. In the village of Osarin, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said it evacuated a 50-year-old Palestinian man to a hospital after he was beaten by settlers. He was carried back into the village on a ladder he had reportedly been using to harvest olives. WAFA, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency, reported that the settlers had hurled stones at homes and vehicles in the village. Footage from the town showed over a dozen people identified as settlers smashing a vehicle parked outside a house. Osarin is located in Area B, where the Palestinian Authority exercises civilian control while Israel retains security control. Israel Police said they had opened an investigation into the incident, with officers entering the town alongside Israel Defense Forces troops to gather evidence and take witness statements. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms The IDF in its own statement said troops were dispatched to Osarin following “footage and reports of Palestinians and property being attacked by Israeli rioters in the area.” Upon arriving, soldiers found property damage and searched for the suspects, “who had fled before the troops reached the scene,” the military said. باستخدام "السلّم" الذي يستعمله لقطف الزيتون.. نقل مزارع أصيب جراء اعتداء مليشيات المستوطنين عليه في أرضه بقرية أوصرين جنوب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/gAxCBWzep7 Advertisement — شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) October 3, 2026 Elsewhere, Palestinian olive pickers in Beita were reportedly attacked for a second consecutive day. Security camera footage appeared to show several people identified as settlers running through an olive grove just outside a Palestinian home. مشهد يوثق هجوم مليشيات المستوطنين على منزل قي منطقة "الظهرة" ببلدة بيتا جنوب نابلس صباح اليوم pic.twitter.com/0klfnBoG2Z — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) October 3, 2026 Separate footage from the area appeared to show IDF soldiers accompanied by an armed settler gathering Palestinians from the grove, with several later seen seated in a row as troops stood nearby. Palestinian reports said olive trees and crops were also damaged in al-Mughayyir, near Ramallah, while two young Palestinian men were reportedly arrested while harvesting olives in Aqraba, south of Nablus. Advertisement صورة | قوات الاحتلال تحتجز عددا من المزارعين في جبل قماص ببلدة بيتا جنوب نابلس pic.twitter.com/HJ4cI7HQoj — وكالة سند للأنباء – Snd News Agency (@Snd_pal) October 3, 2026 In Burin, WAFA reported that settlers raided another olive grove and stole produce and harvesting equipment. Troops who arrived in the area reportedly fired tear gas, and the Red Crescent said it treated three people for tear gas inhalation. The incidents came amid heightened tensions across the West Bank as the annual olive harvest gets underway, a period that has frequently seen clashes and attacks around Palestinian farmland. Israel has faced growing international criticism over a surge in settler violence, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has downplayed as the work of a small number of delinquents. Settler violence in the West Bank has risen sharply since the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, that sparked the war in Gaza. A Palestinian takes part in a community action to clear the area around the olive trees in preparation for the upcoming harvest season on the outskirts of the West Bank town of Birzeit, October 2, 2026, in an area that, according to residents, they were unable to access last year due to Israeli army restrictions and settler attacks. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Critics accuse the government of condoning and even encouraging the violence, which has led to the displacement of dozens of Palestinian families. The surge in settler violence has come even as Palestinian attacks against Israelis have declined in recent years, though deadly attacks have continued. Sixty-seven civilians and Israeli security personnel have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank since October 7. During the same period, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers, according to the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops, or terrorists carrying out attacks. Nurit Yohanan contributed to this report. Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting. — Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist Support our work Support our work Already a member? 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