Israeli forces detained and assaulted journalists in the Jabal Qamass area in Beita, south of Nablus, as a wave of settler violence disrupted the olive harvest across the occupied West Bank on October 3, 2026. Armed settlers under the protection of the Israeli military attacked olive pickers, burned olive trees, and detained dozens of people in multiple locations.
Saturday’s attacks targeted groves in Abu Dis, Awarta, and the az-Zahra area of Beita, aljazeera.com reported. According to field reports from alquds.com, the violence in Beita’s Jabal Qamass area began when armed settlers set ambushes among the trees and opened live fire on unarmed Palestinian farmers attempting to access their lands.
Settler Attacks and Military Intervention in Nablus
Following the initial gunfire by settlers in Jabal Qamass, military vehicles stormed the area, deploying tear gas canisters and bullets to secure the withdrawal of the attackers, alquds.com reported. The confrontations resulted in one Palestinian citizen being injured and ten farmers detained for varying periods. A residential home in the area was also targeted by more than 30 settlers, causing panic among the inhabitants.
In the nearby village of Osarin, settlers fired tear gas at Palestinians and journalists, attacked homes, stoned vehicles, and assaulted several villagers, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa cited by Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera footage captured settlers smashing a Palestinian vehicle in Osarin, while separate videos documented armed settlers attacking a Palestinian home in Beita.
An activist from California volunteering with Palestinian olive harvesters described how a group of about 50 masked settlers approached their location, threw stones, and attacked a house. Soldiers subsequently arrived, rounded up the Palestinians and activists, forced them to sit on the ground at gunpoint, and ordered the activists to leave.
Violence and Settler Incursions Spread Across West Bank
The violence in Beita coincided with parallel incidents across the West Bank. In Beit Imrin, west of Nablus, settlers attempted to prevent farmers from working under threat of arms, alquds.com noted. In Yabroud village in the Ramallah Governorate, a young Palestinian woman suffered severe suffocation after being sprayed with pepper spray by settlers before occupation forces arrived to interrogate local youths.
Military forces raided several homes and spread through residential neighborhoods, leading to confrontations with young people who rejected the incursions. In the southern West Bank, occupation forces stormed the town of Tuqu’ southeast of Bethlehem and Al-Fawwar refugee camp south of Hebron under strict security measures.
Data from the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission cited by alquds.com recorded approximately 2,051 attacks by the occupation and its settlers during September alone. These incidents are part of a pattern to cut down trees, steal crops, and block Palestinians from historical lands. Palestinian authorities stated that 30 Palestinians have been killed by settlers since the start of 2026, more than in any year since 2022. Since the war on Gaza began in October 2023, Israelis have killed 1,212 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 254 children, with most killings carried out by soldiers and more than a quarter committed by settlers.
Investigation and Unresolved Questions
It remains unknown if any settlers will be charged for the ambushes and assaults. The Israeli military has not stated whether it is investigating the conduct of the soldiers who secured the settlers’ withdrawal.
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