Israeli settlers have intensified attacks on Palestinian olive harvesters and stolen crops across the occupied West Bank during this year’s harvest, while a shooting attack in Hebron left five people wounded, including two critically, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order a lockdown of the city and prepare for restrictions across the West Bank.
Palestinian farmers, Israeli rights groups and the United Nations have reported a sharp increase in violence and olive theft during the harvest season. Palestinians say settlers have taken olives from their trees and transported them to nearby Israeli outposts for pressing into olive oil.
The attacks have intensified amid the expansion of Israeli settler outposts under Netanyahu’s government since 2022. Palestinians say military restrictions have increasingly prevented them from accessing olive groves near these outposts.
Ziv Stahl, executive director of Israeli rights group Yesh Din, said the organisation had recorded hundreds of violent incidents and cases of crop theft. On Wednesday, the group reported 125 physical attacks on Palestinian olive harvesters and 168 incidents of crop theft during the first 24 days of the harvest season. Israeli military forces were present in at least a quarter of the reported cases, according to the organisation.
An Israeli military official said the military took violence, criminal activity and security threats seriously but did not directly address the reports of olive theft in the presence of soldiers.
The dispute over olive harvesting has also drawn differing responses from Israeli religious leaders. Rabbi Zev Weitman described taking Palestinian olives as theft. At the same time, prominent Orthodox rabbi Dov Lior argued that settlers should be allowed to harvest across the West Bank, asserting that Palestinians had no ownership rights to the land.
Meanwhile, a shooting attack in Hebron in the southern West Bank wounded five people, two of them critically. Israeli police said two Palestinian gunmen involved in the attack were shot dead by Israeli forces.
Israel Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said the soldiers’ rapid response had prevented a more serious attack. He added that a large quantity of ammunition was found in the vehicle used by the gunmen, which he said was intended for a larger-scale attack. The gunmen were reportedly armed with an M16 rifle and a pistol.
Netanyahu condemned the shooting and praised the Israeli forces who killed the gunmen. He ordered an immediate closure of Hebron and instructed the military and security forces to prepare for a full lockdown across the West Bank. He also vowed to pursue Hamas members and those he accused of directing the attack.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for the Palestinian Authority to be dismantled and demilitarised, saying its alleged militant infrastructure should be eliminated. Israeli forces subsequently launched counterterrorism operations in the Hebron area and other locations, while a manhunt for possible additional attackers continued.
The shooting occurred five days before Israel’s election. Netanyahu ordered the cancellation of political events scheduled for that morning on behalf of his Likud Party.
The wider unrest comes amid continuing disputes over Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The United Nations and most countries consider the settlements illegal under international law governing military occupation, while Israel rejects that position and describes the territory as disputed.
Palestinian authorities said three Palestinians had been killed during settler attacks in the current olive harvest season, with several journalists, European diplomats and a French mayor also reportedly injured. Israel said it was investigating some of the incidents.