A Palestinian journalist and a foreign solidarity activist were injured on Tuesday after Israeli settlers attacked olive harvesters near the town of Qusra, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
Qusra Mayor Abdul Azim Wadi told Anadolu Agency that settlers attacked Palestinian olive pickers and foreign activists on agricultural land between the towns of Qusra and Jalud.
The attack injured European Pressphoto Agency photojournalist Alaa Badarneh and a foreign activist. Several vehicles were also damaged, Wadi said.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medical teams provided field treatment to Badarneh, who sustained a hand injury after being beaten and struck by stones during the attack.
Wadi said Qusra had lost agricultural land and faced an especially difficult olive harvest season this year due to repeated settler attacks. Residents have managed to harvest only around 33% of the olive trees on their land, he added.
The incident comes amid continued attacks by Israeli forces and settlers across the occupied West Bank since the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023.
According to Palestinian figures, more than 1,220 Palestinians have been killed and approximately 13,746 injured in the occupied West Bank during this period. More than 26,000 Palestinians have also been detained.
Palestinian communities have also reported home demolitions, attacks on agricultural land, destruction of vehicles and religious sites, restrictions on farmers accessing their land, and displacement amid continued settlement expansion.
Palestinians warn that the expansion of Israeli settlements and continued attacks are contributing to efforts to annex the occupied West Bank, threatening prospects for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions.
