Armed settlers attacked Palestinian farmers as they picked olives in the towns of Beita and Osarin south of Nablus, while Israeli forces intervened to prevent farmers from reaching their fields and fired tear gas and sound bombs at Palestinians and journalists in the area. In Beita, farmers were attacked as they headed to the Jabal Qammas and al-Dhahra areas to pick olives, while field sources reported that settlers fired live ammunition at olive pickers.
Israeli forces intervene and detain solidarity activists
Israeli forces fired tear gas and sound bombs and forced farmers to leave their land, preventing them from continuing the harvest. The attacks also extended to the Jabal al-Urma area east of Beita, where settlers attacked Palestinian farmers and fired at them on 2 October.
Israeli forces also detained a number of young men and solidarity activists who had come to support landowners in harvesting the crop. In Osarin, a group of settlers attacked olive pickers and Palestinian homes in the western part of the town.
The Palestine Red Crescent said its teams treated a 50-year-old farmer who had been beaten and was taken to hospital for further treatment, while other Palestinians sustained injuries and bruises during the attacks. Restrictions on farmers’ access to their land continued in the area on 5 October, as Israeli forces prevented field owners from going to the Jabal Qammas area between Beita and Osarin.
This came days after attacks targeting farmers and solidarity activists at the start of the harvest season. The incidents south of Nablus coincided with other attacks on olive pickers in the towns of Jamma’in and Asira al-Qibliya in Nablus governorate, as well as attacks in various parts of the West Bank. The incidents included beatings, blocking access to land, gunfire, burning trees, and damaging equipment and fruit collected during the harvest.
Statistics on attacks during September 2026
The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reported that Israeli forces and settlers carried out 2,051 attacks against Palestinians, their land and property in the West Bank during September 2026. According to the commission, 1,404 of the attacks were carried out by Israeli forces and 647 by settlers.
The commission added that settlers attempted to establish 21 new outposts during September, with 10 of the attempts concentrated in Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate, five in Nablus, two each in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and one each in Hebron and Jenin. Concerns are growing that the area of land inaccessible to its owners during the olive harvest will expand.
Olive season losses and access restrictions
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture, the area of land that farmers were denied access to during the previous season amounted to about 123,000 dunams. It was also not possible to properly harvest about 20% of the olive trees because of restrictions on access to agricultural land.
In September, the Ministry of Agriculture launched preparations for the 2026 olive harvest campaign, with the participation of Palestinian and international institutions, to coordinate field interventions, organise volunteers, and identify the areas and farmers most in need of support. The ministry stressed that supporting farmers in reaching their land and harvesting their crops requires unified efforts and resources during the season.
