Israeli settlers attack farmers in West Bank pogrom, soldiers hit reporters

What the report says

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive pickers and damaged property in several locations across the occupied West Bank, according to Al Jazeera’s report published Oct. 3, 2026. The incidents were said to have taken place in and around Abu Dis, Awarta and Beita, including the az-Zahra area and Jabal Qamass south of Nablus. Al Jazeera said the settlers were operating under the protection of Israeli forces, and that soldiers also detained and assaulted journalists at one of the sites.

The report said masked settlers threw stones, assaulted a house and later tore through olive groves, while soldiers arrived and ordered Palestinians and solidarity activists away. An activist cited by Al Jazeera said people harvesting olives were gathered at gunpoint and forced to leave. Other footage aired by the outlet showed settlers smashing a Palestinian vehicle in Osarin and attacking a home in Beita.

Palestinian media and the Wafa news agency also reported tear gas, attacks on homes and stones thrown at vehicles in Osarin, where residents tried to push back the assaults. The report places the violence within a broader rise in settler attacks across the West Bank, a pattern that has intensified since February, according to Al Jazeera. The article also noted that, since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023, Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank have continued to climb, with settlers responsible for a share of those killings.