The West Bank.. Israeli settlers uproot and destroy hundreds of trees in Qaryut.

A local Palestinian official stated on Wednesday that Israeli settlers "committed a crime" against the lands of the village of Qaryut in the northern occupied West Bank by uprooting and destroying hundreds of olive trees.

Yousef Sadiq Al-Haj Muhammad, the acting head of the Qaryut local council, reported that Israel allowed Palestinian farmers in the village to access their lands to harvest olives after two years of being denied access.

He confirmed that the Palestinian farmers were surprised to find hundreds of olive trees uprooted and broken. He noted that the relevant authorities coordinated with the Israeli side to allow access to those lands located on the eastern side of the village.

He continued: "We arrived at the site and found hundreds of trees uprooted or cut down in a crime carried out by Israeli settlers."

The same situation was found in the lands on the western side of the village, after they (the owners) were allowed access last Wednesday.

Al-Haj Muhammad mentioned that Israel has prevented the villagers from accessing more than 90 percent of their lands since October 7, 2023.

Activists circulated videos on social media showing the villagers inspecting their agricultural fields in Qaryut, amidst feelings of sorrow due to the destruction that had occurred.

According to data from the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, the Israeli army and settlers carried out 766 attacks against Palestinians and their properties and sources of livelihood in the West Bank during last October.

The commission added that the attacks ranged "from violent physical assaults, to arrest campaigns, movement restrictions, and intimidation in all its forms, including gunfire."

These attacks fall within a broad wave of Israeli escalation in the West Bank by the army and settlers during the years of genocide in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 1,065 Palestinians and injuries to about 10,000 others, in addition to the arrest of more than 20,000 Palestinians, including 1,600 children.