The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has confirmed that the 2025 olive harvest in the occupied West Bank has been marred by the highest level of Israeli colonizers violations in five years.
According to OCHA’s latest field report, 126 attacks by illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers were documented across 70 Palestinian towns, resulting in widespread destruction of agricultural assets and direct assaults on civilians.
The olive harvest, a cornerstone of Palestinian rural life and economic survival, has increasingly become a flashpoint for settler aggression.
This year’s escalation coincides with the expansion of new settler outposts, many of which have imposed unlawful access restrictions on Palestinian farmers, barring them from reaching their groves during the critical harvest season.
في قلب الضفة الغربية، مزارعون يعنّفون ويُطردون من أراضيهم، أشجار تُقتلع وتُنهب أمام أعين الجميع، بتنفيذ من المستوطنين وإيعاز من الجيش.. موسم الزيتون يتحوّل إلى معركة للبقاء! pic.twitter.com/aoIxr54lVZ
— مجلة ميم.. مِرآتنا (@Meemmag) October 28, 2025
OCHA’s findings detail the vandalism of more than 4,000 olive trees and saplings, a deliberate blow to a sector that sustains thousands of families.
The destruction of these trees—some of which are centuries old—represents not only economic sabotage but also a targeted assault on Palestinian heritage and land tenure.
In the final week of October alone, OCHA recorded 60 colonizer attacks on Palestinian civilians, resulting in 17 injuries and the destruction of 19 vehicles.
These incidents reflect a broader pattern of impunity, with colonizers often operating under the protection or passive observation of Israeli forces.
مليشيات المستوطنين برفقة جيش الإبادة الإسرائيلي تشن هجوماً شاملاً على المزارعين في عدة مواقع بالضفة، ويمنعون آخرين من الوصول إلى أراضيهم لقطف الزيتون، بينها قرى كفر مالك والمغير وكوبر في رام الله، بيت عوا جنوب الخليل، وادي سعير شمال الخليل، عقربا وقبلان جنوب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/kdTy4Oe0h9
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) October 25, 2025
The violence includes physical assaults, stone-throwing, arson, and coordinated invasions and attacks on farming communities.
The UN agency warns that the scale and frequency of these attacks are part of a larger campaign of territorial control and displacement.
اعتداءات صادمة لمستوطنين إسرائيليين على مزارعين فلسطينيين مع بدء موسم قطف الزيتون في الضفة الغربية المحتلة pic.twitter.com/VLCh3vAtKu
— DW عربية (@dw_arabic) October 22, 2025
The olive harvest, once a season of cultural celebration and economic renewal, has become a period of fear, loss, and confrontation.
OCHA’s report underscores the urgent need for international accountability and protection for Palestinian civilians and their property.
The agency continues to monitor the situation and calls for immediate measures to ensure safe access to farmland and uphold international humanitarian law.
For full details, see the official UN coverage: UN News – Settler Violence During Olive Harvest
