Why it matters:
Attacks by illegal settlers in the West Bank typically increase during the annual olive harvest, which provides a livelihood for many Palestinian farmers.
What's happened:
At dawn on Saturday, the Zionist army attacked several districts of the West Bank, injuring at least 36, including a young man and several journalists. According to Al Jazeera, two were hit by live fire, while many others sustained injuries from beating and physical assaults.
In Ramallah, the army attacked the city center and Al Jazeera’s closed office, upholding the decision to extend its closure for another 60 days.
In Nablus, Zionists attacked the Balata Camp, raided several houses, deliberately smashed a vehicle, posted warning leaflets on walls, and fired tear gas canisters.
In Hebron, the Israeli army raided the village of Al-Tabaqa, south of Dura, firing bullets indiscriminately and wounding a young man in both his right and left thighs.
The occupiers prevented an ambulance from entering the Dura municipality for an hour and arrested citizen Ahmed Mohammed Hamdan before leaving the village.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that illegal settlers attacked olive farmers in Beita’s Jabal Qamas area, resulting in beatings and the torching of three vehicles, including one belonging to AFP photographer Jaafar Ishtayeh.
The big picture:
On May 5, 2024, the Israeli regime's cabinet approved the proposal by Benjamin Netanyahu and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi to close Al Jazeera's offices for 45 days. This decision was implemented immediately upon the Communications Minister’s signature and has since been extended. This action risks silencing the voice of the Palestinians' supporters, allowing only dominant narratives to prevail.
This aggression comes as Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, ongoing since October 2023, have already claimed the lives of nearly 67,200 Palestinians—mostly women and children—turning the enclave into an uninhabitable zone.
Zoom in:
The settlers—numbering over 700,000 across 150 settlements and 128 illegal outposts in the West Bank and eastern part of Al-Quds city — often operate under the protection of Israeli soldiers. Beyond property destruction and arson, these groups have been implicated in the killing of Palestinian civilians.
According to official Palestinian figures, since the start of the Israeli regime's onslaught on Gaza in 2023, more than 1,050 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, around 10,300 have been wounded, and over 20,000 have been arrested, including about 1,600 children.
During September 2025, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Israeli forces carried out 1,215 attacks across the occupied West Bank.
Go deeper:
Israeli Regime Begins New West Bank Land Grab
Israel Aims To Completely Occupy Gaza and West Bank: FM Spokesman
F.abedi - seyed mohammad kazemi
