West Bank olive harvest begins amid settler attacks on Palestinians, groves

Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians and their olive groves escalated across the occupied West Bank on Tuesday as the annual olive harvest gets underway, with several Palestinians injured and olive trees damaged. What happened: In Aqraba, a town southeast of Nablus, two Palestinians were injured in a settler attack, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. A 23-year-old man was shot in the foot and taken to a hospital after an Israeli settler allegedly opened fire on a group of Palestinians, while others were beaten, the group said. AFP photojournalist Jaafar Ashtiyeh, 58, was among those injured after being attacked by settlers while covering the events. The Palestinian Red Crescent said settlers attempted to obstruct ambulances from reaching people in the town. According to Palestinian news agency WAFA, settlers also set fire to four vehicles parked in front of residents' houses in the western area of Aqraba. Videos purporting to show the events circulated on X, including one of Ashtiyeh being transported to a hospital in an ambulance.