A group of Israeli settlers on Friday chopped off dozens of Palestinian-owned olive trees in al-Sawiya town in the West Bank district of Nablus.

Local sources said that Jewish settlers from Rahalim Settlement destroyed 33 olive trees owned by the Palestinian citizen Hamad Hijazi.

Al-Sawiya town is one of the most affected West Bank areas by settler violence and ongoing settlement expansion.

According to official statistics over 60% of the town’s lands have been used by Israeli authorities to build or expand settlements.

Recently the West Bank has seen a noticeable rise in Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian citizens and their property despite the coronavirus lockdown.

A group of Israeli settlers on Friday morning chopped off dozens of Palestinian-owned olive trees in al-Sawiya village south of Nablus.

Anti-settlement activist Ghassan Daghlas said that Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Rahalim cut down about 30 olive trees owned by the Palestinian citizen Mahmoud Sulaiman in al-Sawiya.

Daghlas added that the settlers erected a tent in the area probably in a prelude to establish an illegal settler outpost.

A group of Israeli settlers on Friday destroyed dozens of Palestinian-owned olive trees in Burin village in Nablus north of the occupied West Bank.

Local sources said that scores of Israeli settlers coming from Yitzhar settlement which is built illegally on Palestinian lands in Nablus cut down dozens of olive trees in Burin village.

The trees they said are over 80 years old and owned by the Palestinian citizen Majed Zaben.

The Israeli occupation built about 427 settler outposts covering about 46% of the area of the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. Approximately 700000 Israeli settlers live there and carry out almost daily attacks on the Palestinians and their property.