‘Israeli’ army, settlers inflict $7 million losses on Palestinian agriculture

• A surge in ‘Israeli’ army and settler attacks caused nearly $7 million in agricultural losses in one week.
• Jenin emerged as the hardest-hit area amid what officials describe as a systematic land seizure policy.

Palestinian territories saw a sharp escalation in ‘Israeli’ forces and settler attacks during the third week of December 2025, with agriculture and food security bearing the brunt, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture.

In a detailed report, the ministry said the assaults formed part of a systematic policy aimed at controlling land and displacing its Palestinian owners. Jenin governorate was identified as the most severely affected, suffering what officials described as one of the bloodiest weeks for the agricultural sector in recent years.

Read more: One Palestinian killed in Gaza amid ‘Israeli’ attacks

Expansion policy accelerates

The ministry said the ‘Israeli’ government continues to fast-track a creeping annexation of the West Bank through accelerated settlement expansion, creating new demographic and geographic realities on the ground.

It noted that planning councils meet almost weekly to approve new settlement schemes, transforming settlement construction from a temporary measure into a permanent tool of de facto sovereignty.

Read more: 'Israeli' settlers escalate attacks on Palestinian homes, farms, and vehicles across West Bank

As part of this escalation, the ‘Israeli’ army minister announced plans to build 1,200 new settlement units in Beit El, northeast of Ramallah. The ministry said the move aims to isolate Ramallah and fragment its surroundings, in direct violation of international law and UN Security Council Resolution 2334 of 2016.

The report warned that continued international silence provides political cover for these policies and further undermines prospects for a just peace based on international law and Palestinian rights.

Pattern of violations

Violations during the week included large-scale land leveling, uprooting of thousands of olive trees, destruction of water wells and irrigation networks, demolition of agricultural facilities, and preventing farmers from accessing their land, according to the ministry.

The attacks were recorded across Jenin, Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Jerusalem, Qalqilya, Salfit, and Tulkarm, inflicting severe human and material losses and threatening the livelihoods of dozens of Palestinian families.

Jenin bears the heaviest losses

Jenin experienced the most severe damage. On December 22, ‘Israeli’ forces carried out what the ministry described as an agricultural massacre in the village of As-Silah al-Harithiya.

The assault included the leveling of 250 dunams planted with olive trees older than 'Israel' itself, the uprooting of about 5000 olive trees, damage affecting 39 Palestinian families, demolition of thirteen agricultural water wells, and destruction of two farm rooms. An additional 30 farmers were later notified over 130 dunams planted with around three hundred mature olive trees.

Direct losses in olive trees and wells alone were estimated at $5.5 million.

In Qabatiya, farmers were prevented from reaching open-field crops due to sieges and curfews, leading to spoilage and losses estimated at $775,800 during the month.

Damage across the West Bank

In Hebron, ‘Israeli’ forces demolished agricultural structures, destroyed irrigation networks, uprooted crops, stole water pumps, cut fencing, looted beehives, and vandalized farms across several areas, including Bani Naim, Yatta, and southern villages.

In Ramallah governorate, three thousand olive trees were uprooted in Turmus Ayya on December 22, with documentation still ongoing.

Other incidents included damaged olive trees in Qalqilya, land plowing in eastern Nablus villages, tree cutting and demolitions in Jerusalem-area communities such as Mikhmas and Khan al-Ahmar, and crop losses in Tulkarm after farmers were barred from accessing their land.

In Salfit, 10 mature olive trees were uprooted in Deir Istiya, while in Bethlehem governorate, livestock poisoning, olive theft, land leveling, and uprooting of ancient trees were documented in Kisan and Al-Minya.

Nearly $7 million in losses

The ministry said documented losses recorded through its emergency damage assessment system reached $1,663,700.

Unregistered losses in As-Silah al-Harithiya alone were estimated at $5.5 million, bringing total agricultural losses for the week to nearly $7 million.

Officials warned that continued targeting of agriculture threatens Palestinian food security and livelihoods, describing the sector as a frontline in the broader struggle over land, survival, and self-determination.