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While much of the globe’s attention remains on the Gaza ceasefire deal, less than 33 kilometres (21 miles) away, Israeli settlers, often backed by soldiers, continue daily assaults and raids across the occupied West Bank.

On Monday night, Israeli settlers uprooted 150 olive trees in the village of Bardala, in the northern Jordan Valley, destroying the livelihood of several families.

Settlers regularly seize Bardala’s land, burn property and destroy crops in an effort to take over Palestinian land, expand illegal Israeli settlements, and intimidate local communities into leaving.

Earlier on Monday, settlers attacked Palestinian farmers in Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, injuring several of them. Witnesses said the attackers hurled stones, sicced dogs on people, and set fire to vehicles.

Settler attacks on the rise

Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank has steadily risen.

According to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), settlers have attacked Palestinians nearly 3,000 times in the occupied West Bank over the past two years.

The number of settler attacks has risen sharply since 2016, with 852 recorded in 2022, 1,291 in 2023 and 1,449 in 2024.

With more than 1,000 attacks in the first eight months of 2025, this year is on track to become the most violent yet.

Settler attacks often escalate during the olive harvest season from September to November, a vital time of year that provides a key source of livelihood for many Palestinian families.

Who are the Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians?

Israeli settlements are Jewish-only communities built on Palestinian land that Israel occupied in 1967.

Today, between 600,000 and 750,000 settlers live in more than 250 settlements and outposts across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Many of these are near Palestinian towns and villages, often leading to heightened tensions and severe movement restrictions for Palestinians.

Settlers are often armed and frequently accompanied or protected by Israeli soldiers. In addition to destroying Palestinian property, they have carried out arson attacks and killed Palestinian residents.

Where have settlers attacked in the occupied West Bank?

Every West Bank governorate has faced settler attacks over the past two years. Data from OCHA shows that between January 2024 and August 2025, the Ramallah and el-Bireh governorate recorded the highest number of settler attacks with 634 incidents, followed by Nablus with 501 and Hebron with 462.

Most of the settler attacks are in Area C, which makes up more than 60 percent of the occupied West Bank, and are concentrated near Israeli settlements and outposts.

Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, the occupied West Bank was divided into three zones: Area A, under full Palestinian Authority (PA) control; Area B, under PA administrative authority and Israeli security control; and Area C, controlled entirely by Israel.

More than 1,000 Palestinians killed in the West Bank

Since October 7, 2023, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 10,000 injured across the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces and armed settlers, according to UN figures.

In 2025 alone, OCHA has documented at least 178 Palestinian deaths linked to settler and military violence. The victims include farmers, children and residents caught in near-daily raids and attacks on villages and refugee camps.

The brother of killed Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi was freed under the Gaza ceasefire deal, only to be told of his brother’s death just a day earlier.