Israeli forces uproots olive trees, bulldozes agricultural land in West Bank

Israeli forces bulldozed agricultural land and uprooted olive trees Monday in the occupied West Bank, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Israeli bulldozers entered the eastern area of the town of Azzun, east of Qalqilya, specifically the al-Mahjar area, and began uprooting centuries-old olive trees, WAFA reported, citing local sources.

The operation extended across an area about 500 meters wide surrounding the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Shomron, which was built on land belonging to the town, without prior warning.

In a separate incident, Israeli occupiers set fire Sunday evening to olive trees in the village of Burqa, east of Ramallah, according to WAFA.

The occupiers ignited several olive trees on the outskirts of the village while Israeli forces simultaneously raided the area.

Thousands of Palestinian families rely on olive harvesting as a main source of income and livelihood.

Since October 2023, attacks by the Israeli army and Israeli occupiers in the occupied West Bank have killed 1,162 Palestinians, injured around 12,245 others and led to nearly 23,000 arrests, according to official Palestinian figures.