A Palestinian woman has been left with serious head injuries after being brutally attacked by a masked Israeli settler while picking olives in her family's orchard. The assault, which occurred on Sunday morning, was captured on camera by US journalist Jasper Nathaniel. In the footage, the settler is seen wielding a heavy wooden stick and striking the woman multiple times before fleeing the scene.
The victim, identified as Umm Saleh Abu Alia, a 55-year-old mother of five, suffered severe head trauma during the attack. She was hospitalized in intensive care, where doctors described her condition as stable, although the full extent of her injuries has not yet been disclosed.
According to Nathaniel's account, Israeli soldiers were present at the scene prior to the attack and had "lured" him and others into an ambush. However, when asked about the specific allegations by the BBC, the IDF refused to comment.
This incident is part of a larger trend of attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian farmers in the West Bank during the olive harvest season. The attacks have left numerous Palestinians injured, with over 3,200 reported incidents since 2025, according to the UN's humanitarian office.
The use of force and intimidation tactics by Israeli security forces has become increasingly common as they attempt to restrict access to land and maintain control over the territory. Many incidents go unpunished, with only a small percentage resulting in convictions for settler violence.
In this case, the settler involved remains at large, while Umm Saleh Abu Alia continues to recover from her injuries.
The victim, identified as Umm Saleh Abu Alia, a 55-year-old mother of five, suffered severe head trauma during the attack. She was hospitalized in intensive care, where doctors described her condition as stable, although the full extent of her injuries has not yet been disclosed.
According to Nathaniel's account, Israeli soldiers were present at the scene prior to the attack and had "lured" him and others into an ambush. However, when asked about the specific allegations by the BBC, the IDF refused to comment.
This incident is part of a larger trend of attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian farmers in the West Bank during the olive harvest season. The attacks have left numerous Palestinians injured, with over 3,200 reported incidents since 2025, according to the UN's humanitarian office.
The use of force and intimidation tactics by Israeli security forces has become increasingly common as they attempt to restrict access to land and maintain control over the territory. Many incidents go unpunished, with only a small percentage resulting in convictions for settler violence.
In this case, the settler involved remains at large, while Umm Saleh Abu Alia continues to recover from her injuries.
. like, what is going on in those orchards? 3,200 reported incidents since 2025 is insane 
. can't even begin to imagine the fear she must've felt picking olives with her family around 
. newsflash: settlers think they own that land just because of some ancient history or whatever... meanwhile, Palestinians are fighting for their lives every day 
. wish the IDF would really comment on this one instead of saying nothing 
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. And now we're talking about 3200 incidents since 2025? That's a whole lotta people getting hurt 
. It's like, what even is the point of having security forces if they're just gonna stand around while this stuff happens? I'm not saying they're not doing enough, but it feels like they're more concerned with maintaining control than actually protecting their citizens 
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. I mean, Umm Saleh Abu Alia was just picking olives like anyone else, minding her own business, and then BAM! Next thing she knows, she's lying in the hospital with a serious head injury 
. It's just not right.
. We need to take action and make some real changes. Otherwise, it's just gonna keep happening 
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i mean 3,200 reported incidents since 2025?! that's just crazy talk!!! what kinda world are we livin in where settler violence is all but unpunished? 
? these attacks are straight up human rights abuses and someone needs to take responsibility for em 
. Her children, who are only five years old... can you even imagine what it must feel like to watch your parent suffer from such severe injuries? It's a harsh reminder that there are still people on this planet who don't care about the well-being of others.
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This is just horrific! I mean, what's going on? Israeli settlers think they can just go around attacking Palestinians and getting away with it? 
The fact that the IDF won't comment on this is just a huge red flag - it smells like cover-up to me. And 3,200 reported incidents already? That's crazy! 
The use of force and intimidation tactics by Israeli security forces is unacceptable, especially when it comes to protecting civilians. We need more transparency and accountability here. 
Umm Saleh Abu Alia's injuries are horrific - I hope she recovers fully and gets the justice she deserves. This just highlights how broken our system is when it comes to holding perpetrators accountable for their actions. 
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. And what really gets my goat is that those soldiers were there before the attack and didn't do anything to stop it... or at least, they're not saying so 
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. Something needs to change to ensure that civilians like Umm Saleh Abu Alia can feel safe in their own homes and on their own land 
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she's lucky to be alive after being brutally beaten by someone who seems to think they can just do whatever they want on land that doesn't even belong to them 
it's like, hello settler, your family didn't exactly get the land through some random drawing out of a hat... it was taken from the Palestinians years ago and you're still trying to make a living off it 
meanwhile, Umm Saleh's lying in the hospital with no idea when she'll be able to go back to her orchard or see her kids again 
the UN's saying over 3k incidents since last year... that number is crazy and it's not okay 
... I mean, can you imagine if they did that in your backyard with your family's garden gnomes 
? Just saying. It's not like this is the first time something like this has happened or anything... 3,200 reported incidents since 2025 and only a small percentage of convictions for settler violence? That just screams "justice system" to me 
...
it's just so heartbreaking what's happening to these Palestinian farmers 
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The US journalist captures the whole thing on camera, but what about all those other witnesses who were supposed to be around? Why haven't they come forward? It's like they're all in on it. 
Oh no! This is so sad 
. We should all be thinking of her and sending positive vibes 
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. And now Umm Saleh Abu Alia is dealing with these serious head injuries 
. It's just devastating. I mean, what kind of society are we living in where people can just go around beating up others without facing any consequences? 
... and now she's stuck in hospital with serious head injuries 
. The fact that the IDF won't even comment on it is just ridiculous. It's like they're hiding something. And what really gets me is that no one ever seems to get held accountable for these attacks