West Bank: Palestinians harvest olives under Israeli military restrictions

Israeli soldiers stood guard near olive groves in the occupied West Bank village of al-Mughayyir on Thursday as Palestinian families gathered what they could during one of the few days they are permitted to harvest their crops. Footage showed troops firing tear gas near the olive pickers, with smoke drifting through the trees as a boy threw a canister aside.

Home to around 3,000 people, the village lies north-east of Ramallah and has some 4,300 hectares of land, yet residents say they can access barely 100 hectares. Reaching their groves requires prior Israeli military approval, with access restricted to a handful of days and subject to age limits and bans on equipment. Villagers say such brief visits are not enough to maintain their trees, which need year-round care.

Al-Mughayyir has faced mounting pressure from nearby Israeli settler outposts. Six residents have been killed in 2026, its eastern entrance has been closed by the army for more than two years, and around 12,000 olive trees were uprooted from its eastern plain in 2025.

Across the West Bank, the UN has recorded 377 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage since September, the highest figure since records began in 2006. The incidents have left one Palestinian dead, more than 200 injured and 3,850 trees damaged.

The olive harvest provides a vital source of income for an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 Palestinian families. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law by most countries.