A 55-year-old Palestinian woman has been taken to hospital after being clubbed over the head by a masked Jewish settler as she was picking olives.
The unprovoked attack, which took place on Sunday morning in the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya in the occupied West Bank, was captured on video by US journalist Jasper Nathaniel.
Mr. Nathaniel said the settler knocked the woman unconscious with the first strike of his stick, before hitting her again as she lay on the ground. She has been named locally as Umm Saleh Abu Alia.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC the confrontation was dispersed after its forces arrived, emphasizing that it strongly condemns any form of violence perpetrated by settlers.
However, Mr. Nathaniel claims Israeli soldiers were present before the attack and had lured him and others into an ambush. He alleged that soldiers sped off just before the settlers launched their attack. The BBC reached out to the IDF for comments on this specific allegation.
Notably, at least 80% of residents in Turmus Ayya hold US citizenship or residency, according to local media reports. The BBC has also contacted the US State Department and US embassy for a response regarding the incident.
The young male attacker wielded a large wooden stick resembling a club during the assault, striking Mrs. Abu Alia and causing significant injury. She was seen bleeding as she was carried into a vehicle and taken to the hospital, where she was initially admitted to intensive care but is currently reported to be in stable condition.
Her cousin, Hamdi Abu Alia, disclosed that medical staff found she had been struck twice in the head. Furthermore, Amin Abu Alia, the mayor of the neighboring village, confirmed the details of the incident.
This assault occurred amid wider unrest, where at least 15 masked settlers were reported to have attacked not only Palestinians harvesting olives but also activists supporting them, including Mr. Nathaniel. Reports indicate at least one car was torched, and others were vandalized.
The violence intensifies during the olive harvest season, which began on October 9, posing dangers for farmers who rely on the harvest for their livelihoods. Documented settler attacks related to the harvest reached 71 in just one week, and ongoing assaults threaten to displace Palestinian farmers from their lands.
In the current year, more than 3,200 Palestinians have been injured in settler violence across the West Bank, as recorded by the UN's humanitarian office.
This alarming trend is aimed at intimidating Palestinians and is intended to disrupt their agricultural practices, allowing settlers to seize control of their land more easily. Worryingly, punishments for such attacks are rare, with only 3% of investigations leading to a conviction according to Israeli civil rights organization Yesh Din.
The situation highlights the broader, ongoing conflict and the precarious position of Palestinian farmers amid violent encounters during harvest season.
