Israeli settlers uprooted and damaged dozens of Palestinian-owned olive trees on Sunday in the town of Ni'lin, west of Ramallah, according to local sources.

A group of settlers raided the al-Khalal area west of Ni'lin and cut down and broke dozens of olive trees, the sources said.

The incident came four days after settlers reportedly leveled Palestinian-owned land and opened agricultural roads in the same area, amid what local residents described as an increase in settlement-related activity around the town.

Recent incidents in the area have included land leveling, the construction of agricultural roads and damage to Palestinian-owned farmland.

The attacks come as Palestinian officials report an increase in settler violence and property damage across the occupied West Bank.

According to figures from the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, settlers carried out 628 attacks across the West Bank in August, directly affecting 164 Palestinians, including 20 children and 17 women.

The commission said the attacks also damaged 21,508 trees, including 19,375 olive trees, highlighting the impact of settler attacks on Palestinian agricultural land and livelihoods.

Olive trees are an important source of income for many Palestinian families and also carry longstanding cultural significance in the region. Damage to or uprooting of mature trees can therefore have economic consequences for years.

The latest incident in Ni'lin comes amid continuing international concern over settlement expansion and settler violence in the occupied West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Most countries consider Israeli settlements in the territory illegal under international law. (ILKHA)