Armed illegal Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinian agricultural lands in occupied West Bank’s southern Hebron, stealing olive harvests and vandalising fruit-bearing trees, according to local residents.
Witnesses told WAFA news agency that groups of illegal settlers — some carrying weapons — raided olive groves belonging to Palestinian families in Masafer Yatta, picked the olives and loaded them into vehicles before leaving on Thursday evening.
In the nearby village of Susya, illegal armed settlers earlier damaged several olive trees owned by Palestinian residents. According to the Palestinian news agency, the illegal settlers then staged a provocative march near homes and attempted to approach the houses, but locals confronted them and forced them to withdraw.
The annual olive harvest season, an important part of Palestinian cultural heritage and key source of livelihood, often sees a rise in illegal settler attacks.
Human rights organisations have documented repeated incidents of theft, tree destruction and assaults intended to pressure Palestinian families to abandon their land.
Land seizure in Bethlehem
Israeli authorities on Thursday issued new notices informing Palestinian residents of plans to seize land in the town of al-Khader and the nearby village of Khirbet Zakaria, in the south of Bethlehem.
Ahmad Salah, head of al-Khader municipal council, said the Israeli military posted a notification on an electricity pole near the targeted area announcing the intention to take over up to 14 dunums (1,400 sq metres) of land. The notice gives residents seven days to submit objections.
Mohammad Attallah, head of the Khirbet Zakaria village council, confirmed that a similar seizure notice was issued for land on the village’s outskirts, though the exact area was not disclosed.
These measures form part of a long-standing Israeli policy of land confiscation across the occupied West Bank.
According to WAFA, such notices, which Israeli authorities frequently justify under the pretext of “military needs” or settlement expansion, have resulted in the loss of agricultural land, restricted access for farmers and the gradual displacement of Palestinian communities, while the illegal settlements and outposts continue to expand on seized territory.
