Israeli Settlers Torch Palestinian Warehouse and Farmland as West Bank Violence Intensifies

Dozens of Israeli settlers carried out coordinated arson attacks in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, setting fire to a Palestinian warehouse, a Bedouin village, and surrounding farmland. Several Palestinians were injured in the violence, which marked one of the most serious escalations of settler attacks in recent months.

The incidents occurred near the northern city of Tulkarm, an area that has seen repeated clashes during this year’s olive harvest season. Palestinians said the attackers arrived in large groups, some masked, and torched trucks, tents, and olive groves. Footage from Beit Lid showed a warehouse engulfed in flames, while in the Bedouin community of Deir Sharaf, tents were seen burning as women screamed in the background.

The latest wave of attacks comes just days after the United Nations reported that settler violence in October had reached its highest level since the organization began collecting data nearly two decades ago. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 260 settler assaults took place last month alone, an average of eight per day, leaving dozens injured and causing widespread property damage.

Israel has established about 160 settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem since capturing the territories in 1967. Roughly 700,000 Israelis now live in these settlements, which are considered illegal under international law. Around 3.3 million Palestinians reside alongside them, often facing restrictions, harassment, and violence from extremist settlers.

Palestinian Authority Minister Muayyad Shaaban, who heads the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, condemned the attacks, calling them part of a campaign to “impose a hostile environment through intimidation and terror.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said soldiers were dispatched to the scene to disperse the violence and arrested several settlers. The military reported that troops were attacked by settlers as they intervened and that one army vehicle was damaged. Israeli police later confirmed that four suspects were detained.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog denounced the attacks, describing them as “shocking and serious.” He said, “Such violence against civilians and against our soldiers crosses a red line and must be condemned.” Major-General Avi Bluth, head of the IDF Central Command, also spoke out, saying the actions of extremist settlers “undermine the stability of the security situation” and that soldiers had clear orders to prevent any “nationalist crimes.”

The attacks reflect a broader surge in settler violence since the Hamas-led assault on Israel in October 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza. Human rights organizations say most cases go unpunished. The Israeli group Yesh Din reports that of more than 1,700 police investigations into offenses by settlers against Palestinians since 2005, nearly 94 percent ended with no charges filed.

Tuesday’s attacks coincided with the funeral of 13-year-old Aysam Mualla, who died after weeks in a coma from tear gas inhaled during a previous clash with Israeli forces near Nablus. Videos from nearby villages showed masked settlers attacking Palestinian farmers, international volunteers, and even journalists assisting with the olive harvest.

The olive harvest remains a crucial economic and cultural event for Palestinians, yet it has become increasingly dangerous. The Israeli group Peace Now says government-backed settlement expansion continues at a record pace, with more than 5,600 new housing units tendered in 2025 alone. Far-right officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have pushed to accelerate construction and legalize unauthorized outposts, policies that critics say amount to de facto annexation of the West Bank.

For many Palestinians, the fires that burned through their land this week symbolize not only the loss of livelihood but the growing sense that protection and justice remain far beyond reach.