Foreign volunteers and peace activists arrived at the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya on Tuesday to help farmers harvest olives and to protect them from settler attacks.

"Every time we go to harvest the olives, the army comes and starts shooting and throwing grenades toward the people... there is absolutely no safety," said Rami Hamed, a 42-year-old farmer from the town of Turmus Ayya.

Turmus Ayya, whose population is predominantly Palestinian American, has long been a target of settler attacks but villagers say the violence worsened during the Israel-Hamas war.

"Two years ago, we produced 260–270 gallons (of olive oil), but last year we couldn’t reach the land there, so we produced only 100 gallons. This year, I don’t expect our production to reach 40 gallons," said Hamed.

The town is nestled in a valley, surrounded by hilltops crowned with Israeli settlements and outposts.

Protests against settler violence and the military's perceived failure to curb it have provoked regular clashes with settlers since April, when Israeli forces killed 14-year old Palestinian-American Amer Rabee.

More broadly, settler violence is surging across the West Bank.

The UN says that the first half of 2025 has seen 757 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage — that's a 13% increase compared with the same period last year.

The first week of olive harvest season has seen more than 150 settler attacks and over 700 olive trees uprooted, broken or poisoned, according to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission.

"Turmus Ayya is one of the towns that is subjected to daily attacks on farmers. We came to stand with the farmers and reach the remote areas that are difficult to access," said Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a member of the commission.

"We were confronted by settler militias who called in military forces, and they flooded the area with tear gas... all of this is part of a systematic policy aimed at separating and isolating people from their lands and olive trees, allowing for their confiscation and the expansion of settlement outposts," Abu Rahmah added.

AP video by Imad Isseid

AP production by Jalal Bwaitel