Israeli settler attacks across West Bank injure at least 19: Palestinian commission

At least 19 Palestinians, including two children aged eight and 12, were injured in attacks by Israeli settlers across the occupied West Bank on Friday, according to the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission.

The commission said in a statement that it documented 34 attacks and violations targeting Palestinian farmers, land and crops across the West Bank that day.

Two foreign journalists were also injured in the clashes. Among them was American photojournalist Heidi Levine, who was hospitalized after being beaten by masked Israeli settlers while covering the olive harvest near Ramallah, according to media reports.

The attacks took place in several areas, including Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm and Hebron. Settlers, under the protection of Israeli forces, surrounded and beat Palestinian farmers harvesting olives, forced them off their land and detained some of them, the statement said.

The injured included women, elderly people and emergency responders.

The attacks also caused significant property damage. Five Palestinian vehicles were set on fire, including a civil defense rescue vehicle, while several others were vandalized. Numerous olive trees were also burned.

The commission noted that the attacks came during the olive harvest season in the West Bank, a critical period for Palestinian farmers who rely on the crop for their livelihoods. It said repeated settler violence, restrictions on access to farmland and forced displacement had caused substantial economic losses.

The commission called for effective protection for Palestinians and urged that those responsible for the attacks be held accountable.

Israeli authorities have said the incidents are under investigation.

The attacks come amid continued international criticism of Israel's settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and rising settler violence against Palestinians. In September, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that settlement expansion was accelerating and undermining the prospects for a viable Palestinian state.

The UN has repeatedly stressed that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory violate international law and reaffirmed the two-state solution as the path to lasting peace.