AhlulBayt News Agency: Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian agricultural land in the town of Nahalin, west of Bethlehem, on Friday evening, sparking a massive blaze that ravaged hundreds of dunums of olive groves and farmland.
Local sources reported that the fire spread rapidly due to the lack of immediate firefighting response. The damage intensified as Israeli occupation forces (IOF) prevented Palestinian residents from extinguishing the flames. Witnesses say IOF fired live ammunition and tear gas at anyone who approached the area to assist in putting out the fire.
The blaze raged unchecked for more than two hours, with no intervention from firefighting teams. Instead, witnesses reported that IOF actions—including firing tear gas canisters into the area—worsened the situation by helping spread the fire to new locations.
Residents noted that the affected land had been declared off-limits to its Palestinian owners since October 17 under a military order. As a result, the land was left uncultivated, with overgrown weeds fueling the spread of the flames and increasing soil erosion and agricultural destruction.
This attack is part of a broader pattern of settler violence across the occupied West Bank, where coordinated arson, land seizures, and assaults on Palestinian property often occur under IOF protection or direct involvement. Human rights groups have repeatedly warned that such acts are aimed at driving Palestinians off their land and expanding illegal settlement activity.
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