More than 330 settler incidents linked to West Bank olive harvest, rights group says

Israeli rights group Yesh Din says it has recorded more than 330 incidents of settler violence linked to this year’s Palestinian olive harvest in the occupied West Bank. The figure covers theft and damage to trees as well as assaults: it does not mean 330 people were physically attacked. The harvest supports an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 Palestinian families, according to the UN humanitarian office, OCHA.

The Associated Press reported on 23 October, citing Yesh Din, that more than 130 of the harvest-related incidents involved physical assaults on pickers. A separate, broader Yesh Din count covered 672 incidents across 194 Palestinian communities between 27 September and 22 October, according to The Times of Israel. AFP reported that nearly half of those incidents were linked to the olive harvest. The two Yesh Din figures describe different groups of incidents, rather than competing totals for attacks on harvesters.

OCHA’s own monitoring shows how much violence had been recorded before the latest Yesh Din tally. It documented 199 harvest-related settler attacks involving Palestinian casualties, property damage or both between 1 September and 12 October, compared with 185 during the whole of 2025. OCHA reported one Palestinian killed and 124 injured in the 2026 incidents. Its count ends earlier than Yesh Din’s and uses different criteria, so the totals cannot be compared directly.

The violence has also affected people accompanying and documenting the harvest: Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was beaten while covering an attack on olive pickers. Reuters reported that Israeli security services say they take violence and criminal activity very seriously. Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir has said the military will continue working to enable the harvest.