BBC journalists witnessed masked Israeli settlers violently attacking a Palestinian olive farm near Turmus Aya in the occupied West Bank, destroying crops and property while Israeli forces blocked emergency responders. This unprovoked assault reflects escalating settler violence aimed at displacing Palestinians from their ancestral lands, occurring against a backdrop of increased settlement expansion and weakened law enforcement since the Gaza war began.
Masked settlers from an illegal outpost descended upon Brahim Hamaiel’s olive grove near Der Abu Falah, wielding large sticks to destroy trees while the BBC team was present. The attack rapidly expanded across multiple hillsides, with settlers setting fire to vehicles, homes, and farmland. Israeli soldiers prevented Palestinian emergency crews from reaching affected areas during the assault.
The targeted farm belongs to the Hamaiel family, who have cultivated olives for generations near Turmus Aya, south of Nablus. Brahim Hamaiel represents generations of Palestinians determined to remain on their land despite escalating violence. The attackers were settlers from an unauthorized outpost overlooking his property.
This incident occurred on Saturday, August 17, 2025, in the occupied West Bank. The location is strategically significant as extremist settlers systematically target agricultural lands to fragment Palestinian territories. The area has seen weekly attacks as settlers attempt to seize control of fields.
Settlers employ such violence to force Palestinians off land they aim to annex, with Peace Now documenting 100 new outposts since 2024. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently announced thousands of new settlement units, stating they would ‘bury the idea of a Palestinian state.’ The UN recorded 27 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage in the preceding week alone.
The immediate impact included destroyed olive groves, torched homes and vehicles, and injuries to Palestinians including Rifa Said Hamail’s husband. Later that day, 18-year-old Hamdan Abu-Elaya was fatally shot by Israeli troops nearby. Such attacks displace families and deepen resentment, with Hamdan’s father declaring: ‘I encourage young men to do anything they can against the criminal occupier.’
The Israeli army claimed Palestinians burned tires and threw rocks during the incident, stating four settlers received medical treatment. Local settler councils condemned ‘provocations from both sides’ but offered no accountability for the organized assault witnessed by BBC. Palestinians report near-total impunity for settler violence and allege military complicity.
Ongoing settlement expansion suggests continued attacks on Palestinian farmland. Brahim Hamaiel’s resolve to stay despite threats reflects the deepening attachment to land on both sides. With the UN reporting 149 Palestinian deaths in the West Bank this year, these confrontations appear likely to intensify absent international intervention or policy changes.