Settler attacks: $1.2 million in agricultural losses in the West Bank in a week

The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture announced that losses in the agricultural sector in the West Bank due to occupation and settler attacks amounted to about $1.2 million between October 23 and 29, with the destruction of 889 mature olive trees, and warned of a threat to the agricultural season.

The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture announced that losses in the agricultural sector in the West Bank due to attacks by occupation forces and settlers amounted to about $1.2 million during the period between October 23 and 29, coinciding with the olive harvest season. The ministry documented 171 direct violations affecting 64 Palestinian farmers, noting that the recorded damages are limited to sites that technical and field teams were able to access, and do not reflect the full extent of losses under security restrictions and mobility difficulties. The attacks focused on destroying agricultural productive assets, with 889 mature olive trees uprooted, broken, burned, and their crops stolen, and losses in the olive sector alone were estimated at about $586,870. The ministry warned that these attacks threaten the current agricultural season and cause long-term damage to farmers' livelihoods, especially targeting mature trees that constitute an economic resource for future generations. Hebron Governorate was at the forefront of the most affected areas, with direct material losses amounting to $301,424, distributed across vandalism of agricultural facilities and destruction of water networks, in addition to preventing farmers under threat of weapons from accessing their lands and harvesting their crops.