SAFA – Israeli settlers and soldiers have carried out 219 attacks against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank since the beginning of October 2026, with the annual olive harvest emerging as a major target, according to a Palestinian government body.

The Palestinian Authority's Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reported a preliminary total of 219 attacks involving Israeli forces and settlers between October 1 and 12, 2026.

Of these, 177 were attributed to Israeli settlers, while 42 involved joint attacks by settlers and Israeli forces, the commission said in a statement.

According to the commission, the reported attacks included assaults on Palestinian residents, homes and vehicles; destruction of property and infrastructure; attacks on agricultural land and crops; and threats against Palestinian communities.

The commission also reported that three Palestinians had been killed by Israeli settlers since the beginning of October.

The ongoing olive harvest season has been particularly affected by the violence. The commission documented 136 harvest-related incidents during the first 12 days of October, including 92 cases in which Palestinian olive pickers were directly attacked or prevented from accessing their groves.

Of those 92 incidents, 59 were attributed to settlers acting alone, 19 involved both settlers and Israeli forces, and 14 were allegedly carried out by Israeli forces without settler involvement.

The commission also documented 45 incidents involving the theft of harvested olives or the destruction of olive trees.

According to the commission, the attacks included beatings, forced removal from farmland, intimidation, live fire, tear gas and arrests. In numerous incidents, settlers allegedly stole olives and harvesting equipment or damaged trees, inflicting economic losses on Palestinian farmers and restricting access to their land during the peak harvest season.

The latest figures reflect a broader pattern of escalating attacks during the annual olive harvest, according to the commission.

It reported that harvest-related incidents increased from 136 in 2022 to 333 in 2023 and 407 in 2024, before exceeding 441 in 2025.

The commission warned that the increase in attacks reflects "an expanding targeting of farmers and their crops" and the transformation of the olive harvest into a "recurring space of violence and denial of access to land."

It added that these practices undermine Palestinian livelihoods, intensify pressure on communities in affected areas and create conditions that facilitate the expansion of Israeli settlement control.

The annual olive harvest is a vital economic and cultural tradition for Palestinian families across the occupied West Bank, where hundreds of thousands of olive trees provide an essential source of income and represent generations of agricultural heritage.

For many Palestinian farmers, repeated attacks and restrictions on access to their groves threaten not only their seasonal income but also their ability to maintain their land and sustain their livelihoods.