Weekly briefing on Israeli violations against the Palestinian agricultural sector from documentation of Ministry of Agriculture records during the period: 1/29/2026 - 2/5/2026

Overview of Ongoing Targeting and Israeli Violations

In a new week of escalation across the occupied Palestinian territory, the Palestinian agricultural sector in the West Bank continues to pay the price of systematic Israeli occupation policies. During the period from 29 January 2026 to 5 February 2026, a growing series of attacks targeted agricultural land, farmers, and fruit-bearing trees—particularly olive trees—in a scene that reflects a daily struggle for survival and resilience.

This weekly briefing comes amid a broad settlement escalation driven by accelerated Israeli governmental decisions aimed at strengthening control over Palestinian agricultural land and imposing new demographic and geographic realities in the West Bank through:

Reclassification of agricultural land
Legalization of settlement outposts, particularly so-called pastoral outposts
Restricting Palestinian access to their land and sources of livelihood

Available data indicate a strategic Israeli orientation toward intensifying settlement expansion as a tool to entrench de facto annexation of land and impose new realities on the ground at the expense of Palestinian agricultural presence.

Context of Land Confiscation and Settlement Expansion

Recent reports reveal that Israeli occupation authorities have classified more than 26,000 dunums of land in the West Bank as “State Land,” a legal mechanism used to strip Palestinians of control over their agricultural lands.

In parallel, the Israeli government announced its intention to legalize 140 settlement farms in the West Bank, coinciding with an escalation in settler violence against Palestinian farmers and their properties.

Main Patterns of Violations

Israeli violations against the agricultural sector during the reporting period included:

Uprooting, cutting, and breaking fruit-bearing trees, especially olive trees
Demolition and vandalism of agricultural structures
Destruction of water resources (plastic tanks, irrigation networks, agricultural rooms)
Preventing farmers from accessing their lands and grazing areas
Physical assaults on farmers, including beatings, threats, and arrests
Theft of livestock, agricultural equipment, and vehicles

Scale of Direct Losses

According to field documentation by Ministry of Agriculture teams and records entered into the Emergency Damage Assessment System, direct losses during the reporting period amounted to:

USD 705,648

Hebron Governorate recorded the highest level of damage, particularly in the Masafer Yatta area, where losses reached:

USD 618,142

Table: Value of Losses by Governorate

Governorate	Losses (USD)
Hebron	618,142
Jericho	1,500
Jenin	105
Ramallah	48,498
Salfit	22,205
Tulkarm	300
Qalqilya	1,300
Bethlehem	13,634
Total	705,648

Key Field Violations by Governorate

Hebron Governorate

Al-Buweira (29/1/2026):

Grazing and destruction of municipal cauliflower crops over 15 dunums
Breaking and cutting 900 grape seedlings
Destruction of grape trellises over 4 dunums
Damage to irrigation networks covering 4 dunums
Theft of one water pump

Northern Hebron

Surif (29/1/2026): Uprooting of 70 olive trees (7 years old)
Beit Ula (31/1/2026): Theft of 21 beehives

Masafer Yatta

A serious escalation involving spraying toxic chemical substances on grazing lands, olive trees, and wheat and barley crops—an unprecedented and dangerous practice aimed at destroying vegetation and undermining livelihoods as part of a systematic displacement policy
Grazing of 4 dunums of barley (27/1/2026)
Grazing of 40 dunums of wheat – Khallat Al-Jroun (26/1/2026)
Grazing of 52 dunums of wheat – Ghuwein (27/1/2026)
Uprooting and breaking of 70 cactus trees

Al-Fakhit (28/1/2026):

Damage to water tanks
Burning of an agricultural tent
Destruction of barns
Theft of equipment
Burning of fodder and firewood

Al-Halawah (28/1/2026):

Theft of 396 sheep

Wadi Al-Rakhim:

Uprooting and breaking of more than 350 olive trees
Spraying of 30 dunums with toxic substances
Damage to grape seedlings

Qalqilya Governorate

Kafr Qaddum (2/2/2026):

Breaking of 20 apple trees
Damage to irrigation networks over 2 dunums

Tulkarm Governorate

Shufa:

Theft of light agricultural equipment, including a manual spraying pump

Jenin Governorate

Arraba / Ya‘bad (31/1/2026):

Assault on a plastic water tank
Issuance of an order to forcibly remove a farmer from his land

Jericho Governorate

Ein Al-Diuk:

Theft of an agricultural trailer

Bethlehem Governorate

Tuqu‘ (4/2/2026):

Uprooting of 14 mature olive trees
Destruction of a vegetable field (cauliflower)
Damage to a PVC water line
Uprooting of almond trees and destruction of ornamental seedlings

Ramallah Governorate

Silwad: Theft of 16 sheep
Beitillu: Theft of 34 newborn sheep
Abu Shkheidem (4/2/2026): Theft of 80 sheep
Turmus‘ayya: Uprooting of approximately 300 olive trees (final assessment not completed due to denial of access)

Salfit Governorate

Kafr Al-Deek (1/2/2026):

Stop-work order for an agricultural room
Theft of electrical and metal equipment and a chainsaw

Consequences of the Escalation and Systematic Violations

Unprecedented escalation in the frequency, type, and scale of agricultural violations
Direct targeting of productive agricultural, water, and livestock assets
Hebron Governorate, particularly Masafer Yatta, remains the most affected area
Introduction of new and dangerous tools, including toxic chemical substances
Severe economic and social repercussions, including loss of income, threats to food security, and forced displacement
Clear political and institutional complicity through settlement legalization and land reclassification

Call to Action

Based on the above, the Ministry of Agriculture calls upon the international community, international human rights institutions, and agricultural and humanitarian organizations to assume their legal and moral responsibilities by: