Palestinians (The COW News Digital)Violence involving Israeli settlers and Palestinians has intensified across the occupied West Bank, while repeated incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot have added to tensions in Jerusalem.
In the latest incident, more than 100 Israeli settlers reportedly attacked the Palestinian village of Jalud, south of Nablus, setting fire to two homes belonging to the Al-Tubasi family. The family had previously been forced to leave the properties following months of harassment and attacks. Palestinian sources said the family had been allowed to return shortly before the latest violence but was again forced to leave.
The incident came amid a wider increase in settler attacks across the West Bank. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 51 settler attacks were recorded between September 15 and 21 that resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. The attacks also affected agricultural land, crops, trees and irrigation infrastructure. At least 800 olive, fruit and palm trees were damaged, uprooted or burned during that reporting period.
UN data also indicates that settler violence has continued to expand in both frequency and geographical reach during 2026. More than 1,600 attacks resulting in Palestinian casualties or property damage had been documented between January and mid-September, affecting hundreds of Palestinian communities.
The situation has also drawn attention to Palestinian agricultural losses ahead of the annual olive harvest. Reuters recently reported that Israeli military bulldozers uprooted extensive olive groves in the West Bank, with Palestinian farmers reporting significant damage to trees that provide an important source of income.
Meanwhile, tensions have increased around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem. Palestinian officials reported that 1,143 Israeli settlers entered the compound on September 27 under Israeli police protection during Sukkot. Reports said some participants conducted religious prayers and rituals inside the compound, while restrictions were imposed on Palestinian movement in parts of the Old City.
On September 28, another group of settlers entered the Al-Aqsa compound through the Mughrabi Gate under heavy police protection. Palestinian officials said the latest incursions were accompanied by tighter restrictions on access and movement around the mosque and the Old City.
The developments have taken place against a broader humanitarian backdrop in the West Bank. The UN says Israeli military operations, settler violence, demolitions and movement restrictions are contributing to displacement, property damage, disrupted livelihoods and reduced access to essential services.
The continuing incidents have heightened concerns among humanitarian organizations over the protection of Palestinian civilians, access to farmland and homes, and the preservation of the existing arrangements around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
