Israeli settlers set fire to olive trees near Bethlehem
Israeli settlers have set fire to olive trees in the village of Marah Rabah, south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, the Wafa news agency is reporting. The attack happened at midnight, it reported.
It is the latest incident in an intensifying wave of violence by Israeli settlers targeting the Palestinian olive harvest.
Since the harvest began in the first week of October, there have been at least 158 attacks across the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to figures made public by the Palestinian Authority’s Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC) at the end of that month.
The CWRC says more than 15,000 trees have been attacked since October 2024.
Olives are the backbone of Palestinian agriculture, a sector that accounts for about 8 percent of gross domestic product and more than 60,000 jobs, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Agriculture Ministry.
Israeli forces raid Balata camp in West Bank
Israeli forces have raided the Balata refugee camp, near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, local sources tell our colleagues on the ground.
Israeli forces arrest 8 Palestinians near Nablus in West Bank
Israeli forces have arrested eight Palestinians in raids across Nablus governorate in the occupied West Bank this morning, Wafa news agency is reporting.
Five men were arrested in the town of Beit Furik, with arrests also in Nablus city and the Balata refugee camp.
Israeli forces demolish homes of Palestinians near Jericho and Ramallah
The Israeli army has demolished a tourist villa and a house in the Matar area east of Jericho, according to Wafa news agency. The demolitions are part of a broader Israeli policy to displace Palestinians in the Jordan Valley and Jericho, aiming to empty the region of its residents.
In a separate incident west of Ramallah, Israeli forces demolished an agricultural structure and bulldozed land in Budrus village. Local sources said troops, accompanied by a bulldozer, also uprooted trees on a farm.
Israeli forces entered Silat al-Harithiya, west of Jenin, distributing threatening leaflets to residents.
Israeli settlers attack Palestinian olive pickers south of Bethlehem
Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinian olive pickers south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency is reporting.
A family was attacked as it was heading to its olive groves west of the town of al-Khader. A man said he was punched and hit with rifle butts by the settlers, who also detained his wife and daughter and forced the family at gunpoint to leave the area.
The man said the family was followed pursued by the settlers and Israeli forces as they left. The family was also threatened with an arrest if it returned to the land.
The attack is the latest incident in a wave of violence by Israeli settlers targeting the Palestinian olive harvest in the occupied West Bank.
Israelis storm Al-Aqsa Mosque under police protection
Israelis have stormed the courtyards of al-Aqsa Mosque. Footage published by Quds News Network showed what appears to be a group of settlers entering the compound under the escort of Israeli police.
Wafa news agency reported that dozens of Israelis carried out the incursion, while the Jerusalem Governorate said a total of 465 settlers entered the courtyards, taking what it described as “provocative tours” of the area.
The visits are deeply controversial as they are seen by Palestinians and much of the Muslim world as an attempt to assert Israeli control over the al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, known to Jewish people as the Temple Mount.
