Palestinian woman in hospital after being clubbed by masked Israeli settler

A 55-year-old Palestinian woman has been taken to hospital after being clubbed over the head by a masked Jewish settler as 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 captured on video by US journalist Jasper Nathaniel.

Mr Nathaniel said the settler knocked the woman unconscious with the first strike of his stick, before hitting her again as she lay on the ground. She has been named locally as Umm Saleh Abu Alia.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC the confrontation was dispersed after its forces arrived, and that it “strongly condemns any form of violence” by settlers.

However, Mr Nathaniel said Israeli soldiers were on-site prior to the attack and had “lured” him and others into an “ambush”. He said soldiers “sped off” just before the settlers launched the assault. The BBC has put this specific allegation to the IDF.

At least 80% of residents of Turmus Ayya hold US citizenship or residency, according to Israeli media. The US State Department did not respond to specific questions about the incident but told the BBC it has “no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens”.

The young male attacker is seen in the footage wielding a large wooden stick with a knot at one end, reminiscent of a club, before he swings it overhead and strikes Mrs Abu Alia.

“It’s the most vivid image that’s ever been seared in my mind,” Mr Nathaniel told the BBC.

“He swings it one time and I saw her body go completely limp. And then he stood over her and hit her twice more.”

The mother of five is then seen bleeding as she is carried into a vehicle to be taken to hospital. She was initially admitted to an intensive care unit but is now in a stable condition, doctors say.

Her cousin, Hamdi Abu Alia, told the BBC that medical staff found she had been struck twice in the head. Amin Abu Alia, the mayor of the adjacent village 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 were seen hurling stones and attacking other Palestinians who were harvesting olives – as well as activists who had arrived to support them, including Mr Nathaniel.

At least one car was torched. Others had their windows smashed.

It is one of a spate of attacks in recent weeks linked to the olive harvest, which officially began on 9 October.

The harvest is an age-old ritual that forms a major part of Palestinian culture. It is also an economic necessity for many, but is increasingly precarious.

Farmers across the West Bank – internationally regarded as Palestinian land occupied by Israel – face heightened risks during harvest season, including organised assaults and the use of force by Israeli security forces to block roads and Palestinians’ access to their lands.

Of the 71 settler attacks documented by the UN’s humanitarian office, Ocha, across the West Bank between 7 and 13 October, half were related to the ongoing harvest season. The attacks affected Palestinians in 27 villages.

In 2025, more than 3,200 Palestinians have been injured in settler attacks across the West Bank, according to Ocha.

Attacks are intended, monitors say, to intimidate Palestinians and eventually drive them from their land so settlers can seize it. The vast majority go unpunished, with just 3% of official investigations into settler violence between 2005 and 2023 ending in a conviction, according to Israeli civil rights group Yesh Din. Many incidents are not investigated.

Shortly after entering office, US President Donald Trump cancelled a range of sanctions imposed on Israeli settlers by his predecessor Joe Biden.