Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and set fire to cars and olive trees during the annual olive harvest in the occupied West Bank. A BBC team witnessed one of several attacks in farmland near the Palestinian village of Abu Falah. A local official said the attacks had injured 12 Palestinians, including four dual Palestinian American citizens. A foreign journalist was also among those hurt.

Driving into the area early in the morning, the BBC team encountered a stream of cars carrying wounded Palestinian olive farmers, with smoke rising from several fires nearby. Majdi Fheed, an American citizen, was treated for deep wounds to his head and neck after being attacked with nail-studded sticks, according to Yaser AlKam, a council member from the neighboring village of Turmus Aya. Fheed's elderly mother was also injured.

Another man reported that settlers had attacked them with sticks while they harvested olives and had burned three cars, including his own. A woman described how settlers began attacking as soon as they arrived on the land, forcing them to flee.

A US State Department spokesperson confirmed awareness of the reports, stating, "We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank and call for investigations, arrests, and convictions of those responsible."

Despite the violence, 73-year-old Imm Khaldoun expressed determination to continue harvesting. "This is my land. It's my right [to be here]," she stated.

The United Nations reports that the past two weeks have seen more attacks by violent Israeli settlers than during the entire harvest season last year. The olive harvest in the West Bank has become a race against time, with farmers attempting to gather fruit quickly before potential settler assaults.

In a nearby olive orchard, farmers were observed using power tools to harvest rapidly, while keeping watch on a group of settlers gathered at a new illegal outpost overlooking the area. The landowner, Amin Khalil, explained that three villages had united for the harvest as a protective measure. His land is reportedly surrounded by seven Jewish settlements and outposts.

The attacks highlight ongoing tensions during the crucial olive harvest season, a period often marked by clashes between Palestinian farmers and Israeli settlers in the West Bank.