UN says West Bank olive harvest settler attacks surpass 2025 figure

This year’s olive harvest has been marked by violence and damage in the West Bank. The attacks affect Palestinian pickers, their families, and the groves that support farming communities. The scale matters because the season is still underway, yet reported incidents have already surpassed the total for all of 2025.

Ocha recorded nearly 200 settler attacks linked to the harvest. They caused casualties or property damage. One Palestinian was killed, more than 120 were injured, and over 2,500 trees or saplings were damaged. About 80 per cent of the incidents happened during the past two weeks.

The danger is changing how communities work. Many have begun picking early to reduce risks. Humanitarian partners are supplying equipment, monitoring access restrictions, and offering legal support. Continued attacks could further damage groves, delay harvesting, and limit farmers’ ability to care for or reach their trees.

The reported figures show that this year’s olive harvest violence has already exceeded last year’s total. Ocha counted nearly 200 settler attacks linked to the harvest that caused casualties or property damage. This is more than the 185 incidents recorded across the entire 2025 season.

The attacks have had several kinds of harm. One Palestinian has been killed, more than 120 people have been injured, and over 2,500 trees or saplings have been damaged. These figures combine direct human casualties with damage to productive farmland. About 80 per cent of the incidents occurred in the past two weeks.

The season is not described as finished, so the total could continue to rise. Communities are harvesting early to reduce danger. Humanitarian partners are providing supplies, tracking access restrictions, and offering legal assistance while the harvest continues.

The West Bank is a Palestinian territory west of the Jordan River, where Palestinian communities farm land including olive groves. It matters here because farming depends on reaching trees at the right time. Access is not only a question of distance; it can also be controlled or restricted around settlements and the Barrier.

The article says humanitarian partners are monitoring restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on access to groves close to settlements and behind the 712-kilometre-long Barrier. Those limits can prevent or delay pickers from entering farmland. In a harvest season, missed access can mean fewer olives collected and more exposure to danger when people do enter.

The reported restrictions add to attacks and property damage. Partners are providing equipment and legal support while tracking the situation. The article does not detail the specific rules or routes for each grove, so the effects may differ between communities.

Communities are harvesting early to reduce the risk of attacks during the olive season. This is a defensive choice, not simply a change in farming plans. Olive picking works best when farmers can reach their groves safely and repeatedly, so violence and access restrictions can disrupt the work at its most important moment.

The article reports nearly 200 related attacks, including one death, more than 120 injuries, and damage to over 2,500 trees or saplings. When people cannot safely reach trees, they may leave olives unpicked or gather them under rushed conditions. Damaged trees can also produce less in later seasons. These longer-term effects are general agricultural consequences, not figures given in the article.

For farming families, a lost or reduced harvest can mean less produce to sell and fewer resources for the next season. Humanitarian partners are supplying equipment, monitoring access, and providing legal support, but the article does not quantify lost income.

The main actors have different roles in the harvest crisis. Palestinian farmers and communities are picking olives and trying to protect their livelihoods. Settler attacks have caused deaths, injuries, and property damage. Israeli authorities impose restrictions affecting access to some groves, especially near settlements and behind the Barrier.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or Ocha, reports the number and effects of attacks. Humanitarian partners support farmers with equipment and other agricultural supplies. They also monitor access restrictions and provide legal support. These actions respond to both immediate danger and barriers to reaching farmland.

The article does not name individual settlers, farmers, Israeli authorities, or humanitarian organizations. It also does not describe the specific legal support provided. Together, the actors’ actions shape whether harvesting can continue safely, whether damaged groves can be used, and how much assistance communities receive during the season.

Olive farming needs living trees, access to farmland, agricultural inputs, and working presses. In the West Bank, settler attacks have damaged more than 2,500 trees or saplings, while restrictions affect groves near settlements and behind the Barrier. These problems make cultivation and harvesting less secure and less predictable.

Gaza faces additional constraints. Humanitarian partners report destruction of olive groves, restricted access to farmland, especially beyond the Yellow Line, and limits on agricultural supplies. Restrictions on engine oil and spare parts affect the few remaining olive presses. Without functioning presses, harvested olives may not be processed efficiently into oil.

Together, these conditions threaten both production and processing. The article does not provide a total number of damaged Gaza trees or presses still operating. It does show that shortages and access limits can affect the whole chain, from tending trees and gathering olives to pressing them.

An olive harvest is a chain of linked tasks. Farmers must tend trees, protect and reach them, pick olives, transport the crop, press it, and sell the resulting oil. Every step matters. If access is blocked or unsafe, the chain can break before olives reach a press or a market.

The article gives examples across that chain. West Bank communities are picking early because of attacks. More than 2,500 trees or saplings have been damaged. In Gaza, access restrictions and shortages of agricultural supplies, engine oil, and spare parts limit cultivation, harvesting, and the operation of olive presses.

One failed season can therefore have effects beyond one year. General agricultural knowledge indicates that damaged trees may produce less later, while lost sales can reduce money for maintenance and inputs. The article does not quantify these longer-term effects, but its reported damage and shortages show why recovery may be difficult.