Four Palestinians injured in attack on olive farmers in West Bank

Four Palestinians were injured on Thursday when a group of Israeli settlers attacked farmers harvesting olives in the Wadi al-Shaer area of the occupied West Bank, Anadolu Agency reported.

Ibrahim al-Hamad, director of the Agriculture Directorate in Salfit province, said the attackers used sharp objects and damaged five Palestinian vehicles.

The injured were taken to Yasser Arafat Hospital in Salfit with bruises and fractures, al-Hamad said.

He said Israeli settlers had carried out a series of attacks on farmers in different parts of the province during the olive harvest.

Attacks by Israeli settlers and forces against Palestinian farmers, their land and property have increased in the West Bank, particularly since the olive harvest began in October, amid restrictions on access to agricultural land.

The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said settlers had carried out more than 14,742 attacks across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October 2023, killing 66 Palestinians.

The commission said the attacks damaged, uprooted, burned or poisoned 147,111 trees, including 100,485 olive trees.