On Camera, Masked Israeli Settlers' "Brutal Ambush" On Palestinian Farmers

A Palestinian woman was critically injured after a masked Jewish settler attacked her with a stick in the central West Bank's Turmus Ayya village. The unprovoked attack was captured on video by US journalist Jasper Nathaniel, who said the Israeli settler knocked the 55-year-old woman--a Palestinian farmer-- unconscious with his stick. 

The woman was identified as Afaf Abu Alia, alias Umm Saleh, who had gone to the field to harvest her family's olives. Sharing the video on X, Nathaniel wrote, "October 19, 2025. On the first day of the olive harvest in Turmus Ayyer, the Israeli Defence Force leads a group of farmers directly into a brutal ambush by armed settlers."

"These people need to be in prison by tomorrow, and the people of this village, and all across Palestine, need to be protected. Enough is enough," he added. 

October 19, 2025. On the first day of the olive harvest in Turmus'ayyer, the Israeli Defense Force leads a group of farmers directly into a brutal ambush by armed settlers. These people need to be in prison by tomorrow, and the people of this village, and all across Palestine,… https://t.co/i4PbG9jn4j pic.twitter.com/i67CjLB2gg

— jasper nathaniel (@infinite_jaz) October 19, 2025

The video showed the young male attacker wielding a large wooden stick with a knot at one end, reminiscent of a club. He is seen repeatedly swinging it overhead and striking Alia.

Nathaniel said the Israeli settler repeatedly hit Alia on the head until she lost consciousness. He continued hitting her again as she lay on the ground. The woman was rushed to the hospital, where she was admitted to the intensive care unit after suffering a brain haemorrhage, according to Palestinian media reports.

Two other people were also reportedly injured in the attack, including a Palestinian. The other person who was injured was a foreign national who had allegedly gone there to help Palestinians who are frequently under violent attack from Israeli settlers during the olive harvest season, according to reports. 

According to a BBC report, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that the confrontation was dispersed after its forces arrived in the area and that it "strongly condemns any form of violence" by settlers.

But Nathaniel rejected the claim, saying ,"No Israeli forces showed up to the attack at any point." He alleged that Israeli soldiers were at the attack site earlier, and they were the ones who "lured" him and others into an "ambush". He also alleged that Israeli forces "sped off" just before the settlers launched the assault. 

Per the BBC report, around 80 per cent of residents in Turmus Ayya have US citizenship or residency, just like Nathaniel.

Israeli authorities have made no arrests in the matter so far.

The video footage has caught the attention of Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestine. Resharing the video, she highlights how such attacks have gone on for years without any action from the Israeli side.

"For 2 years, the world has seen scenes like this from the West Bank. I wonder where decent Israelis are; those who protest in Tel Aviv," she wrote on X. 

"Hatred of Hamas is one thing, but do they not feel some obligation to act to stop their fellow citizens behaving like criminals on the loose?" the post added.