Masked settlers attack West Bank olive harvesters in Beita and Osarin as harvest season turns violent

Masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages near Nablus on Saturday, wounding villagers and disrupting the start of the olive harvest, as violence spread across the northern occupied West Bank.

In Osarin, two Palestinians were wounded and taken to Al-Arabi Hospital in moderate condition after settlers threw stones at homes and vehicles, Palestinian reports cited by Haaretz said (Haaretz). The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said it carried a 50-year-old man to hospital after settlers beat him, and WAFA, the Palestinian Authority news agency, said settlers hurled stones at homes and vehicles in the village (Times of Israel).

In Beita, Israeli forces entered the village after the settler attack and stopped the olive harvest at Jabal Qamas, detaining harvesters after settlers arrived, Haaretz reported. An activist told Al Jazeera that soldiers rounded up Palestinians and harvest volunteers “at gunpoint” and forced the activists to leave, while Israeli forces also detained and assaulted journalists in the Jabal Qamass area (Al Jazeera). Footage showed settlers smashing a Palestinian vehicle in Osarin and armed settlers attacking a home in Beita.

Elsewhere near Nablus, settlers threatened olive harvesters in Beit Imrin, where a 50-year-old man was wounded and agricultural land was set on fire, Palestinian reports said. The Jerusalem Post reported additional clashes in Burin and Asira al Qibliya, and that bursts of gunfire were heard near Beita (Jerusalem Post). The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The violence came two days after Reuters reported that Israeli settlers shot two Palestinians in the village of Yasuf, killing 51-year-old Mashour Yassin, in an attack on his home. Al Jazeera, citing Palestinian authorities, said 30 Palestinians have been killed by settlers since the start of 2026, more than in any year since 2022.