Video: Israeli settlers beat Palestinian farmers as attacks surge in West Bank

Israeli settlers assaulted Palestinian olive harvesters and activists this week in the occupied West Bank, in an attack captured on video that has drawn global condemnation. According to the Associated Press, the assault, which left at least one woman seriously injured, is the latest in a surge of settler violence targeting Palestinian farmers during this year’s olive harvest.

The incident occurred on Sunday in the town of Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah, and was verified through footage obtained by news agencies. Palestinian health officials said the woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries after being beaten with clubs by settlers.

VIDEOS SHOW MASKED SETTLERS ATTACKING FARMERS

One of the videos shows a masked man running through an olive grove and striking at least two people with a club, including a woman who appears to collapse and lie motionless on the ground. The attacker was reportedly wearing tzitzit, the traditional fringed Jewish garment.

In another video, a group of more than a dozen masked men can be seen sprinting down a village road beside an olive grove, chasing a car. One settler is seen clubbing the vehicle and opening its door before the passenger escapes and is pursued by the group.

Israel’s Channel 12 later reported that the head of the West Bank police force wrote in an internal WhatsApp group that the video of the masked settler attacking the woman "kept him up at night," adding that he had instructed officers to locate and bring the attacker to justice.

The United Nations and several human rights organisations have warned of a sharp increase in settler violence across the occupied territory as the olive harvest begins.

"Settler violence has skyrocketed in scale and frequency," said Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Palestinian territory, in a statement released on Tuesday. "Two weeks into the start of the 2025 harvest, we have already seen severe attacks by armed settlers against Palestinian men, women, children and foreign solidarity activists."

According to the UN, the first half of 2025 recorded 757 settler attacks resulting in casualties or property damage — a 13 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.

Turmus Ayya, a village with a large Palestinian-American population, has long been a flashpoint for settler violence. Villagers said that attacks surged after the Israel-Hamas war. The town lies in a valley surrounded by Israeli settlements and unauthorised outposts, leaving it highly exposed to incursions.

Tensions escalated further following the killing of 14-year-old Palestinian-American Amer Rabee by Israeli forces in April. The incident sparked waves of protest against settler violence and the Israeli military’s alleged failure to act, triggering frequent clashes between settlers and residents.

Olive trees, which form the backbone of many Palestinian families’ livelihoods, have become a repeated target during the annual harvest. The Palestinian Authority’s office tracking settler violence reported more than 150 settler attacks during the first week of the 2025 olive harvest alone.

Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war.

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With inputs from news agencies