Meanwhile, hundreds of Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque to celebrate the start of the Hebrew month.
Farmers said they lost olive trees older than 100 years across dunams of land. Ghassan Abu Aliya, head of Al-Mughayyir Agricultural Association, said the clearance aims to force Palestinians off their land. He warned the operations could expand across the West Bank.
When journalists asked the Israeli army about the uprooted trees, the army said it is “looking into the matter.”
Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governor Leila Ghannam visited Al-Mughayyir to support the residents. She said the land clearance is a “planned colonial policy” designed to uproot Palestinians from their lands. Ghannam said the operations were carried out under the directives of Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
“They can uproot our olive trees, but our roots run deeper than their plans,” Ghannam said. She called on the international community and human rights organizations to take clear action to stop ongoing Israeli attacks.
Ghannam stressed that the Palestinian people will remain attached to their land. She said Israeli plans, including the E1 settlement project, are destined to fail.
Over three days, Israeli forces conducted mass arrests in Al-Mughayyir, detaining 14 Palestinians, including the village council head, Amin Abu Aliya, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club.
The club reported that soldiers interrogated dozens of residents, including entire families with women and children.
The campaign also included widespread land destruction, bulldozing thousands of trees, house raids, and temporary detentions with beatings and threats. Soldiers also confiscated money and gold from some homes.
Residents vowed to replant the uprooted olive trees and continue defending their lands despite ongoing attacks.
