In brief
In a dramatic assault on a West Bank olive harvest, Israeli settlers hurled stones at farmers and set fire to about a dozen trees. Roughly a dozen masked men descended from a hill near an illegal outpost, targeting Palestinians and activists gathering olives. A Washington Post photographer on site was injured and hospitalised after being kicked. The UN reports that settlement‑related violence has surged to record highs over the past weeks, surpassing previous harvest‑season incidents.
The BBC filmed Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians and setting fire to olive trees in the occupied West Bank during a harvest season. Roughly a dozen men clad in black caps charged down a hillside near an illegal outpost, hurling slingshot stones at workers and activists while igniting around a dozen olive trees.
On the scene was Washington Post journalist Heidi Levine, who was knocked to the ground and subsequently taken to a hospital after being kicked. "I was jumped," she told reporters after her ordeal, describing the chaotic seizure of a working field.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that in the last two weeks settlement violence has surpassed all incidents recorded during the entire harvest season of last year, reaching an all‑time high amid escalating tensions in the region.
BBC Middle East correspondent Lucy Williamson reports that the attack reflects a broader pattern of aggression by settlers against Palestinian civilians during the olive‑harvest period.
Source: BBC News – "Israeli settlers attack Palestinians in West Bank during olive harvest" (2026‑10‑16)
