Palestinian woman in hospital after being clubbed by masked Israeli settler
A 55-year-old Palestinian woman was hospitalized after a masked Jewish settler hit her in the head with a stick while she was picking olives.
The unprovoked attack, which took place on Sunday morning in the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya in the occupied West Bank, was recorded on video by US journalist Jasper Nathaniel.
Mr. Nathaniel said the settler knocked the woman unconscious with the first blow of his stick, then struck her again as she lay on the ground. It was locally called Umm Saleh Abu Alia.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC that the fighting had dissipated after its forces arrived and that it “strongly condemned any violence” committed by the settlers.
But Mr Nathaniel said Israeli soldiers had been in the area before the attack and had “lured” him and others into an “ambush”. He said the soldiers “swifted away” just before the settlers launched the attack. The BBC forwarded this specific allegation to the IDF.
According to Israeli media, at least 80% of Turmus Ayya residents have US citizenship or residence. The BBC has reached out to the US State Department and the US embassy for comment.
In the footage, the young male attacker is seen throwing a large wooden stick, resembling a stick, with a knot at one end, into the air and hitting Ms. Abu Alia.
“This is the most vivid image that has ever been seared into my mind,” Mr Nathaniel told the BBC.
“He shook it once and I saw his body go completely limp. Then he stood over him and hit him two more times.”
The woman, a mother of five children, was later seen covered in blood as she was carried into a vehicle to be taken to the hospital. Doctors said he was initially admitted to the intensive care unit but his condition is now stable.
His cousin, Hamdi Abu Alia, told the BBC that medical staff found he had been shot twice in the head. Amin Abu Alia, mayor of the adjacent village of al-Mughayyir, confirmed details of the attack to the BBC.
The attack was part of a wider incident in which at least 15 masked settlers threw rocks and attacked other Palestinians picking olives and activists who had come to support them, including Mr Nathaniel.
At least one car was burned. Others’ windows were broken.
The attack comes amid a series of attacks in recent weeks in connection with the olive harvest, which officially started on October 9.
Harvesting is an ancient ritual that forms an important part of Palestinian culture. This is also an economic necessity for many people, but it is becoming increasingly precarious.
Farmers in the West Bank, internationally recognized as Palestinian territory occupied by Israel, face increased risks during the harvest season, including organized attacks and the use of force by Israeli security forces to block roads and Palestinian access to their lands.
Half of the 71 settler attacks documented in the West Bank between 7 and 13 October by Ocha, the UN’s humanitarian office, were related to the ongoing harvest season. Palestinians in 27 villages were affected by the attacks.
According to Ocha, more than 3,200 Palestinians will be injured in settler attacks in the West Bank in 2025.
Observers say the attacks are aimed at intimidating Palestinians and driving them off their land so settlers can take it over. According to Israeli civil rights group Yesh Din, only 3% of official investigations into settler violence between 2005 and 2023 resulted in convictions, while the vast majority remain unpunished. Many incidents are not investigated.
Shortly after taking office, US President Donald Trump canceled a series of sanctions imposed on Israeli settlers by his predecessor Joe Biden.
