Settlers attack olive pickers, steal their equipment, and wound one of them in Derastiya

Today, a group of settlers attacked farmers while they were picking olives in the Al-Dhahur area in the town of Derastiya, northwest of Salfit, and seized the olives, hoses, equipment, and agricultural tools that they were in possession of. They also destroyed the tires of citizen Moataz Khalaf’s vehicle, while one of the farmers suffered fractures in his hand and leg while trying to escape the attack.

One of the farmers reported that a group of armed settlers attacked them with stones while they were on their agricultural land, and seized the olives, hoses, equipment and tools they were using in the harvesting process, forcing them to flee the place for fear of being exposed to further attacks.

He explained that the attack targeted a number of farmers, including the sons of the late Muhammad Obaid Abu Azzam, the sons of Azzam Obaid, the sons of Daoud Obaid Abu Ashous, Moataz Khalaf, Abdullah Kojak, Firas Musa, Farid Al-Qadi, Omar Abu Zaid and his sons.

The same source added that one of the farmers fell while trying to escape from the settlers, resulting in fractures in his hand and leg, and he was transferred to the medical center to receive treatment.

This attack comes in light of the escalation of settler attacks on farmers in Salfit Governorate during the olive harvest season, which include physical assault, theft of crops and agricultural equipment, sabotage of property, and preventing citizens from reaching their lands and working on them, which exacerbates their suffering and threatens their source of livelihood.