NABLUS, November 6, 2024 (WAFA) – Israeli colonists cut down more than 500 old olive trees in the village of Qaryut, south of Nablus, on Wednesday.

The acting head of the village council, Yousef Sadiq al-Hajj Muhammad, told WAFA that the farmers were surprised, when they entered their lands in the western area of ​​the village after receiving coordination for two days, to find out that the colonists had cut down more than 500 old trees from their lands, which are close to the illegal Eli colony built on the lands of Qaryut, al-Sawiya and al-Luban al-Sharqiya.

Al-Hajj Muhammad added that the occupation prevented the farmers from entering those lands for two years, adding that they were surprised by the extent of the destruction that befell their agricultural lands, noting that the occupation soldiers, accompanied by the colony guard, assaulted the farmers and members of the village council, conducted a field investigation with them and seized the olive picking equipment, despite the prior coordination they have to enter their lands to pick the olives.

The olive picking season in the West Bank this year is seeing repeated attacks by colonists and occupation forces, which has extended to the point of killing, burning and cutting down olive trees, stealing the crop, and preventing farmers from reaching their lands.

According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, since the beginning of this year's olive season, and until October 29, the occupation forces and colonists have carried out 239 attacks against olive pickers, including 109 cases of preventing access to their lands.

These attacks resulted in the killing of local resident Hanan Abdul Rahman Abu Salama, 60, from the village of Faqqu'a, northeast of Jenin, and the injury of more than 50 others with various injuries in addition to the burning and uprooting of hundreds of olive trees, and the seizing their fruits.

K.T