On Friday, settlers ignited cars and olive trees in eight Palestinian villages across the northern West Bank, striking residents—including a foreign journalist—and leaving charred remains of homes and community centres. The violence came as farmers headed out early to harvest the annual olive crop, a process that sustains 200,000 families who rely on the harvest for their livelihoods.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society treated 14 injured people at six sites, while local officials reported an additional four injuries in two other villages, bringing the total number of wounded to at least 18.
Human rights organisations slammed the Israeli military for its inaction, with Ziv Stahl, executive director of Yesh Din, alleging that soldiers sometimes assisted the attackers or stayed idle while villages were assaulted.
The army condemned the violence and announced it would investigate the incidents, a statement that arrives as Israel prepares for its October 27 parliamentary election and raises questions about the far‑right government's stance on settler violence.