Farmers in the occupied West Bank face almost daily raids and violence from Israeli settlers, leaving them living in fear that their homes and land will be stolen, they say.

Added to this is the violence they observe in nearby urban areas, for example Jenin city and refugee camp that the Israeli army increased its raids and killed ten people and injured 20 in just one week.

At least 237 Palestinians have been killed and about 2,850 others injured by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank since October 7, according to the Health Ministry.

45-year-old farmer Ayman Assad and his family can hear the attacks clearly from their home, just 2 km from the camp, making the last few weeks a nightmare for him, his wife and five children.

“The children are constantly afraid and don’t play outside anymore, it’s too dangerous,” he told Al Jazeera.

“We can hear the attacks on the refugee camp, explosions and gunfire.”

Assad said his children would no longer go to school because even if they dared to go there, the Israeli army blocked many roads in the area. All courses have gone online.

The biggest concern now is that his chicken farm, further away in Zone C of the West Bank, will be attacked by Israeli settlers while he cannot defend it. “I’m afraid my country will be stolen.”

Palestine is known for its olives, olive oil and vegetables, which are widely exported. The olive trees in particular are an important symbol of the Palestinians’ connection to their land.

The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Since then, around 700,000 Israeli settlers have settled illegally in Palestinian territory. and have Olive groves stolen, attacked and destroyedFarmland and properties there for years.

But these attacks have increased in recent weeks Israeli forces and settlers carry out armed raids while the Palestinians are are locked in their homes under curfewsaid Abbas Milhem, director of the Palestinian Peasants’ Union (PAFU) in Ramallah. Among the targets was his own family farm.

“A second war is taking place in the West Bank”

Just over two weeks ago, armed Israeli settlers entered the Milhem farm, fired weapons toward people working at the harvest, and stole olives.

One of the workers on the farm, Iman Abdallah Jawabri, 45, was harvesting olives with a crew that included her husband when five settlers came in.

“They shot towards us as if to scare us and as they got closer they took our phones to stop us from taking photos of them. Then they told all the women to leave and began beating the men and forcing them to sit on the ground under the olive trees.

“We (the women) were still looking at them from a distance. After that, they took all of our olives and forced us to leave.”

The farm is now under military control, despite being in Zone B of the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority technically controls civilian affairs. The Milhems and their workers were unable to return.

“The farmers are afraid of being shot if they do it,” Iman said.

“I have several grandchildren and I fear for the future, but I also thank God for what we have and pray for the people of Gaza,” she added.

“There is a second war in Palestine, taking place in the occupied West Bank,” Milhem said. “It is also important to understand the impact it has on farmers in the occupied West Bank.”

He added that he could not travel to visit his aging mother in Jenin because Israeli forces had blocked many roads.

“I also feel anxious when my sons go out at night and I constantly call them to ask if they are OK,” he said.

“They have weapons – I only have my hands”

According to Human Rights Watch, Israeli security forces killed more Palestinians in the occupied West Bank between January 1 and October 6 this year than in any year since 2005, when the United Nations began recording deaths. This has raised Palestinians’ fears for their safety and that of their families, in addition to their fears for their livelihoods.

Unable to move to work in the West Bank since October 7 due to sharply increasing raids and curfews by Israeli forces and armed settlers, Palestinians are facing a crisis.

According to the United Nations, poverty has increased increased by 20 percent and gross domestic product fell 4.2 percent since October 7th.

Milhem said exports had stopped completely and almost 50 percent of olives had not been harvested because the Israeli army had restricted Palestinians’ freedom of movement.

Another Palestinian farmer, Salah Awwad, 28, lost his home and land in Wadi Tahta in the south of the occupied West Bank in August. Settlers invaded his land, poured benzene around his property and set it on fire, destroying his hives.

They took over the country and Awwad had to flee with his family of eight. After a few days, he said, he managed to get his 100 sheep back, but he could no longer return to the country.

Since October 7, conditions at his new home in Sha’ab Tariq, 9 km (5.6 miles) away, have deteriorated and now his livelihood is at stake: he is not allowed to graze his sheep, he told AlJazeera.

“The settlers are surrounding my house and won’t let me work,” he said. “I’m afraid I’ll get shot because they’re carrying guns. What can I do? They have their weapons; I only have my hands.”

Awwad added that although life was difficult before the war began, prices had now risen sharply, especially for farmers. The price of feed for his sheep has risen by more than a third since October 7th.

“No one is looking at us, only God,” he said. “But I won’t move again even if they try to force me.”