Documentation of Israel’s aggression against farmers and the agricultural sector from October 1-9, 2025
Between October 1-9, Israel has dramatically escalated land confiscation, the construction of settlement roads, the expansion of settlement outposts as well as violent attacks and raids on Palestinians and their villages. Since in 2025 the Israeli Knesset took over land registration in Area C, the already ongoing annexation has accelerated with settlers now merely needing to place a tent or caravan on Palestinian land to file a claim.
The occupation army also continued to close agricultural gates and prevent farmers from accessing their lands behind the apartheid wall, in the town of Al-Khader (Bethlehem), the northern Jordan Valley (Hamra and Tayasir checkpoints), and the lands of Kafr Qaddum (Qalqilya). Settlers installed new iron gates, adding to the previous ones that impede farmers’ access to thousands of dunams of land. This threatens the olive harvest season, the land rights of Palestinian farmers, and undermines national food security.
This will be the third harvest since the start of the genocide, during which Israel will attempt to deprive Palestinians almost completely of access to their lands. Thousands of dunams, all of them olive groves, are to be harvested but the settler militias, with the support of the occupation army, have forcibly taken control of them.
If this year’s olives are not cultivated, Israel will practice its draconian law that allows it to designate as “state lands” any Palestinian land that remained uncultivated for three consecutive years. By restricting Palestinians’ access to their lands, Israel systematically steals more Palestinian lands.
Between October 1-9, Israel’s settler militias and occupation:
- Destroyed 1,011 olive and almond trees in Yatta.
- Destroyed 37 ancient olive trees in al-Mughayyir and Abu Falah, and 40 trees in Beit Ula.
- Uprooted and bulldozed 60 grape trees in Hebron.
- Attacked farmers from the Shalaldeh family in Sa’ir, destroyed approximately 300 olive trees across 14 dunams, and stole part of their crops.
- Issued a military order to confiscate dozens of dunams south of the ancient Solomon’s Pools and in the Umm Rukba area (Artas).
- Prevented farmers from harvesting grapes in Halhul, resulting in losses estimated at approximately 1,000 kg of produce.
- Destroyed 50 meters of fences in Kafr Malik and 80 meters in Beit Sira (Ramallah).
- Destroyed 40m² of retaining walls in Beit Sira and 150m² in Ras al-Qadi (Hebron).
- Destroyed 6 dunums of agricultural land in Ras al-Qadi.
- Burned 100-meter-long water pipelines in the village of al-Jalameh, as well as a 50-meter-long plastic pipeline.
- Demolished a 50-meter-deep groundwater well in Ta’nek (Jenin), destroyed the pump, and filled in the well.
- Destroyed a plastic water tank in Halhul.
- Destroyed 30 beehives in Turmus Ayya and caused significant losses to beekeepers.
On the first day of this year’s olive harvest, October 9, 2025, settler militias and occupation army:
- Harassed and expelled farmers in the areas of Dahr al-Abed, Khirbet Masoud, Zubdah, and Nazlat Zaid.
- Stole olive crops and expelled farmers in Khirbet Farasin, Kafr Ra’i, Nazlat ash-Sharqiyah, and Arraba.
- Physically assaulted the family of Palestinian farmer Ali Muhammad Abu Shamla in Ya’bad and stole their crops.
- Stole fruits and equipment in Imriha (80-100 kg of olives and two electric lathes).
- Vandalized and destroyed agricultural infrastructure in the village of Ta’nek, uprooted trees, cut water lines, and filled wells.
- Attacked 14 dunams of land belonging to the Shalaldeh family, destroyed trees and stole crops in Sa’ir.
- Assaulted the Palestinian Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Raddad and his wife, physically assaulted them, expelled them from their land, and stole their olive crop.
- Detained farmers in Deir Istiya (northern area – al-Qada) and prevented them from harvesting their olives.