Armed and masked settlers have launched a violent assault on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to vital olive groves as tensions in the territory reach unprecedented levels. Approximately 80 individuals carrying clubs charged at local villagers in Abu Falah while they were harvesting fruit, an economic lifeline for the community that has increasingly become a target for aggressive territorial expansion.

Eyewitness accounts and journalists on the ground reported that despite the swift arrival of military vehicles belonging to the Israeli regime, the violence escalated further. Soldiers deployed tear gas against the defending Palestinians, while additional reinforcements of settlers armed with machine guns arrived at the scene, unleashing live gunfire that forced civilians and reporters to flee in panic.

During the chaos, Washington Post journalist Heidi Levine was reportedly knocked to the ground, beaten, and robbed by members of the attacking mob, later stating that her helmet and flak jacket likely saved her life. Human rights monitors note that settler violence and land confiscation policies have surged to record highs, prompting some Western allies to introduce delayed economic restrictions on illegal settlement goods.

Source: www.aljazeera.com