As the olive harvest season begins in the West Bank, Palestinian farmers find themselves facing not only the usual challenges of agriculture but also a mounting series of obstacles that threaten both their livelihoods and their cultural heritage. The months from September to November, once a time of communal gathering and economic stability, have become fraught with uncertainty, violence, and unprecedented restrictions, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
For thousands of families across the West Bank, olives and olive oil are not just a staple crop—they represent a cornerstone of Palestinian identity and tradition. Yet, as Ciro Fiorillo, FAO’s Head of Office in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, emphasized, "This year’s harvest season is marked by uncertainty, and livelihoods are under unprecedented risk." The combination of Israeli state policies and surging settler violence has made it nearly impossible for many farmers to access tens of thousands of dunums of farmland—one dunum equaling 1,000 square meters—leading to what the UN human rights office (OHCHR) warns may amount to forcible transfer and economic devastation.
According to OCHA, settler attacks on Palestinian olive harvests have reached their highest level in at least two decades as of 2025. These attacks are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern. Farmers report theft of crops and equipment, vandalism of vehicles, the cutting down of olive trees, and direct threats to their safety. In some cases, Israeli settlers have physically blocked access to farmland by installing caravans or erecting barriers, as seen in Khalet Al Luza, where more than 200 dunums of land are now off-limits to its rightful owners.
Yousef, a farmer from Kufr Qaddum village, shared his experience with UN News: "For two years now, we have been denied access to our lands." His family owns over 300 dunums near the Israeli Kedumim settlement in Qalqiliya Governorate, but since the escalation between Iran and Israel and the aftermath of Hamas’s attack on Israel in 2023, they have been completely cut off from their groves—even during the critical harvest season. "These lands cover approximately four to five thousand dunams. We have been prevented from accessing them," Yousef said, highlighting that "this issue [affected] all farmers across the entire West Bank."
The impact is not confined to one village. Mohammed, a farmer from Kifl Harris near the Israeli Ariel settlement in Salfit Governorate, has been denied access to over 3,000 dunums of olive-cultivated land. The loss is staggering. "The olive season is our main economic lifeline as farmers and employees in both the public and the private sectors," Mohammed told UN News. He added that no explanation was given for the restrictions, leaving entire communities in the dark and without recourse.
Harassment and violence further compound these restrictions. As Yousef explained, "We have endured all kinds of harassment from settlers and the [Israeli] army." He detailed a litany of abuses: repeated attacks, theft of olive crops and harvesting equipment, vandalism, and even the destruction of olive trees. The situation, he said, has left many farmers feeling both targeted and abandoned.
The international response to these developments has grown more urgent. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory unlawful and calling for its rapid end. The UN human rights office echoed these concerns in a statement on July 30, warning of escalating settler violence "with the acquiescence, support, and in some cases participation" of Israeli forces. The statement further alleged that Israeli government policies and legislative actions appear aimed at "emptying certain areas of the West Bank of the Palestinian population, advancing the settlement enterprise, and consolidating the annexation" of large parts of the territory.
Despite these dire circumstances, international organizations like FAO continue to provide support. The agency has helped Palestinian farmers and cooperatives improve land and water management, introduced sustainable practices such as intercropping, and worked to increase food production and income by making more efficient use of natural resources. "Together with our resource partners, FAO is committed to continuing supporting local olive cultivation, which is as important to livelihoods and food security as it is to Palestinian culture and tradition," said Mr. Fiorillo.
Yet the situation in the West Bank is mirrored by an even grimmer reality in Gaza, as reported by Doctors Without Borders (MSF). In a statement published in The Jakarta Post on September 17, 2025, MSF described Gaza as facing "systematic destruction and genocide against Palestinians," with more than 64,000 people killed, including 20,000 children, according to Palestinian Ministry of Health figures. The organization’s 1,399 colleagues working in Gaza have been overwhelmed by casualties from blast injuries, infected wounds, and starvation.
Routine medical data from six MSF-supported healthcare facilities in 2024 indicated 207,942 outpatient consultations, with 55 percent for women and 20 percent for children under five. Wound care alone accounted for 93,254 consultations, with 39,700 related to violent trauma from bombs, shells (83 percent), and gunshots (11.3 percent). Nearly 60 percent of lower-limb wounds treated were caused by explosive weapons, and infection rates among first-time patients were as high as 28 percent in some facilities.
MSF has accused Israeli forces of systematically targeting Gaza’s healthcare system by bombing hospitals, raiding medical facilities, and endangering the lives of staff and patients—acts that may constitute war crimes. More than 1,500 health workers have been killed, including 12 MSF colleagues, and MSF orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mohammed Obeid has been detained since October 2024. The siege imposed by Israeli authorities has created severe shortages of fuel, water, food, and medical supplies, leading to famine and malnutrition, with 25 percent of pregnant or breastfeeding women malnourished as of 2025.
One particularly dire episode involved the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli-run, US-funded operation, which MSF says has been responsible for killing 1,400 people and injuring 4,000 more during food distributions. MSF staff have treated children shot while reaching for food and people injured in stampedes, with analysis suggesting intentional targeting at distribution sites. "There is no other way to describe the murder of children as anything but intentional," MSF asserted.
The call for action is urgent. MSF and other organizations are demanding that world leaders exert real political pressure to halt arms transfers, secure a ceasefire, lift the siege, and allow for the immediate and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid. Medical facilities and health workers must be protected, and forced displacement must end. The attacks by Hamas in October 2023 were also condemned, with calls for the release of all hostages and the safe evacuation of those needing urgent care.
Both in the West Bank and Gaza, the stakes could not be higher. As one Palestinian farmer pleaded, "We urge you to work with international institutions through peaceful means to achieve a result that enables us to access our lands safely and harvest the fruits of our olives and trees." The fate of entire communities, their heritage, and their future hangs in the balance, waiting for decisive action from the world beyond.