In the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers continue to carry out violent attacks and land seizures, despite global focus on the Gaza ceasefire. These actions, often supported by soldiers, have intensified in recent years, causing significant harm to Palestinian communities.
On Monday night, settlers destroyed 150 olive trees in the village of Bardala, located in the northern Jordan Valley, severely impacting the livelihoods of several families. This incident is part of a broader pattern in which settlers regularly encroach on Palestinian land, burn property, and destroy crops to expand illegal settlements and pressure locals to leave.
Earlier that day, in Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, settlers attacked Palestinian farmers, resulting in injuries. Witnesses reported that attackers threw stones, used dogs against people, and set vehicles on fire. Such incidents are not isolated but part of a growing trend of settler violence.
Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, settler violence in the West Bank has increased significantly. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), settlers have attacked Palestinians nearly 3,000 times over the past two years. The number of attacks has risen sharply since 2016, with 852 recorded in 2022, 1,291 in 2023, and 1,449 in 2024. In the first eight months of 2025 alone, there were over 1,000 attacks, indicating that this year could be the most violent yet.
Settler violence often escalates during the olive harvest season, from September to November, a critical period for many Palestinian families who rely on this crop for their income. Israeli settlements, which are Jewish-only communities built on occupied Palestinian land since 1967, remain a central point of contention. Approximately 600,000 to 750,000 settlers live in more than 250 settlements and outposts across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, frequently leading to heightened tensions and movement restrictions for Palestinians.
These settlements are often near Palestinian towns and villages, where settlers are frequently armed and accompanied by Israeli soldiers. In addition to property destruction, they have committed arson attacks and killed Palestinian residents. OCHA data shows that every West Bank governorate has experienced settler attacks over the past two years. Between January 2024 and August 2025, the Ramallah and el-Bireh governorate recorded the highest number of attacks, with 634 incidents, followed by Nablus with 501 and Hebron with 462.
Most of these attacks occur in Area C, which constitutes over 60% of the occupied West Bank and is under full Israeli control. Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, the West Bank was divided into three zones: Area A, under full Palestinian Authority control; Area B, under PA administrative authority with Israeli security control; and Area C, entirely controlled by Israel.
Since October 7, 2023, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 10,000 injured in the occupied West Bank due to violence by Israeli forces and armed settlers, according to UN figures. In 2025 alone, OCHA has documented at least 178 Palestinian deaths linked to settler and military violence, including farmers, children, and residents caught in daily raids and attacks on villages and refugee camps.
The ongoing violence has also led to widespread displacement. At least 3,434 Palestinians have been forced from their homes due to settler violence and access restrictions since the start of the conflict in Gaza.
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