(MENAFN) Illegal Israeli settlers stormed two Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, damaging agricultural land and destroying fruit-bearing trees, according to human rights groups.

The Bedouin organization Al-Baydar reported that settlers entered the village of Al-Maliha, west of East Jerusalem, accompanied by Israeli police. Residents were detained for a period before being released.

In a separate incident, settlers targeted farmland in the village of Firasin, north of Tulkarem, cutting down trees in an area Palestinians have farmed for many years. Al-Baydar emphasized that the land provides a crucial source of income for the families who own it.

The organization said these incidents “reflect a systematic Israeli policy to put pressure on Palestinian farmers and threaten their economic and social stability.”

According to figures cited by the Palestinian government’s Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, illegal settlers have carried out 7,154 attacks across the West Bank since October 2023, resulting in the deaths of 33 Palestinians and the displacement of 33 communities. When including both settler and military operations, at least 1,072 Palestinians have been killed and around 10,700 injured during this same period.

In a significant legal opinion issued last July, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful and called for all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem to be dismantled.

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