West Bank olive harvest: what OCHA’s 377-attack tally measures

A cumulative figure, with a dated window

OCHA reports 377 olive-harvest-related settler attacks across the West Bank between 1 September and 2 November. Its report is titled 5 November but was posted on 6 November. The figure covers that extended period; it does not describe attacks occurring on the posting date.

The earlier OCHA report, titled 15 October and posted on 19 October, recorded 199 harvest-related attacks between 1 September and 12 October. It described those figures as preliminary and noted that they predominantly reflected incidents in areas not requiring prior coordination. The two publications are successive accounts from one monitoring origin, rather than independent checks.

Sources: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (occupied Palestinian territory) United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (occupied Palestinian territory)

Separate monitoring cannot be added together

AP’s 23 October field report relayed Yesh Din’s count of more than 325 incidents during a harvest season it described as beginning in late September. It also interviewed the Palestinian Farmers’ Union about disruption. That supports an earlier account of the problem, without independently auditing OCHA’s later total. AP also reported Netanyahu questioning the circumstances of some attacks; that challenge did not settle the individual incidents.

The reporting windows and descriptions differ. Adding these totals would risk counting overlapping incidents twice, while subtracting one organisation’s number from another’s would not establish how many new attacks occurred.

Sources: The Associated Press United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (occupied Palestinian territory) United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (occupied Palestinian territory)

The earlier report sets out the livelihood stakes

OCHA’s October account estimated that the harvest supports 80,000–100,000 Palestinian families. It relayed a Palestinian Agriculture Ministry forecast of approximately 21,000 tonnes of olive oil in 2026, compared with 7,000 tonnes in 2025, conditional on farmers being able to reach and harvest their groves.

Those figures explain why access matters economically, while remaining an estimate of families supported and a conditional production forecast. They do not establish completed output, realised household earnings or compensation for losses. The report also describes restrictions affecting cultivation and maintenance beyond the harvest itself.

Sources: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (occupied Palestinian territory)

One weekly discrepancy remains unresolved

The latest OCHA page’s harvest table lists 64 attacks for 27 October–2 November, while its narrative records 41 harvest-related attacks for that week. That inconsistency remains unresolved. Its weekly harvest total is therefore omitted here. OCHA nevertheless describes continuing obstacles to reaching agricultural land and delivering support. A future clarification could resolve the weekly comparison; the cumulative figure should retain its stated period and attribution.

Sources: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (occupied Palestinian territory)