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A Palestinian man observes olive trees that have been uprooted by Israeli soldiers operating a bulldozer in the West Bank village of Al-Mughayyir, located north of Ramallah, on August 24, 2025.— AFP
Israeli bulldozers tore out hundreds of trees in the village of al-Mughayyir in the West Bank on Sunday, with military forces on-site, according to AFP reporters.
Most of the damaged trees were olive trees, which are vital to both the economy and culture of the region. Olive groves have historically been a contentious issue, frequently leading to disputes between Palestinian farmers and Israeli settlers.
Local farmer Abdelatif Mohammed Abu Aliya explained he lost olive trees that were over 70 years old spanning about one hectare of land. “They completely uprooted and leveled them under false pretenses,” he said, noting that villagers have already begun replanting.
Photographers from AFP captured scenes of disturbed soil, felled olive trees, and several bulldozers working on nearby hills.
One bulldozer prominently displayed an Israeli flag, with military vehicles parked nearby.
“The aim is to maintain control and force people to leave. This is just the beginning — it will spread throughout the entire West Bank,” stated Ghassan Abu Aliya, who heads a local agricultural group.
Residents reported that the bulldozing activities started on Thursday. A Palestinian NGO revealed that 14 individuals had been detained in the village over the previous three days.
When questioned about the event, the Israeli military responded late Sunday that they had “initiated intensive operational activity in the area” following a “serious shooting attack near the village.”
On August 16, the Palestinian Authority announced that an 18-year-old man was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the same village.
The military clarified that their response to stone-throwing by “terrorists” did not directly connect to the young man’s death.
A widely circulated video in Israeli media on Friday shows a senior military officer referencing the attack in al-Mughayyir, vowing that “every village and every enemy… will pay a heavy price” for assaults against Israelis.
Avi Bluth, the top military commander in the West Bank, states in the video that the villages of Palestinian attackers could face measures like curfews, sieges, and terrain-shaping operations aimed at deterrence.
Violence in the West Bank has intensified since the Gaza conflict began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Since then, at least 971 Palestinians—including militants and civilians—have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers in the West Bank, according to AFP figures based on Palestinian Authority data.
In the same timeframe, at least 36 Israelis, both civilians and military personnel, have been killed in attacks or military actions in the region, according to official Israeli sources.
The West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, is home to approximately three million Palestinians and 500,000 Israelis living in settlements that are deemed illegal under international law.
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