Palestinian reports: IDF uprooted thousands of olive trees in West Bank village after shooting attack by resident

Palestinian media outlets report that the Israeli army uprooted thousands of olive trees in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir over the past three days — an area of ​​about 300 dunams (74 acres) — following a shooting attack in the area last week carried out by a resident.

In addition, a three-day curfew was imposed on the village, which was lifted this morning, according to the reports.

جريمة تستهدف الأرض.. الجرافات الإسرائيلية تقتلع المئات من أشجار الزيتون في قرية المغير شمال رام الله#قناة_الغد #فلسطين #الضفة_الغربية pic.twitter.com/lAxB4IMgAP

— قناة الغد (@AlGhadTV) August 23, 2025

On Thursday night, the chief of the IDF Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, during a visit to the scene of the shooting, said that al-Mughayyir would “pay a heavy price” for the attack the previous day.

“Every village and every enemy needs to know that if they carry out an attack against the residents, they will pay a heavy price; they will experience a curfew, they will experience a closure, and they will experience ‘shaping operations,'” he said, apparently referring to the uprooting of the trees.

A “shaping operation” in military terms refers to efforts to create or preserve advantageous conditions for future operations by affecting enemy vulnerabilities.

⭕️نقلت صحيفة "هآرتس"، عن جيش الاحتلال قوله إنه اقتلع 3100 شجرة في قرية المغير بالضفة الغربية.

????قال قائد المنطقة الوسطى في جيش الاحتلال آفي بلوت، إن جميع قرى الضفة الغربية يجب أن "تعرف أنه إذا ارتكبت هجومًا، فسوف تدفع ثمنًا باهظًا، وسوف تواجه حظر التجول والحصار". pic.twitter.com/absYLvOwpB

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) August 24, 2025

“We will now focus our effort… on the village of al-Mughayir, which has carried out quite a few attacks recently; we are now locking in on this village,” Bluth said, according to remarks published by the IDF.

“We will also deliver this message to the village: The village carries out an attack, no problem, you want a spotlight on you, we know how to shine a spotlight. The first mission is to hunt down and thwart the cell and the terrorist,” he said.

“The second mission is to carry out ‘shaping operations’ here, and yes, so that everyone will be deterred, and not only this village, but any village that tries to raise a hand against any of the residents,” Bluth added.

On Wednesday, Israeli reserve soldiers from a rapid response team made up of residents of local settlements detained a Palestinian suspected of opening fire on a group of Israeli civilians near the settlement of Adei Ad earlier in the day, the military said.

The 30-year-old Palestinian, a resident of al-Mughayyir, had allegedly fired at the Israelis, without hitting any, before engaging in a physical altercation during which an Israeli man was lightly hurt.

He was nabbed several hours later, according to a military official.

During an initial interrogation by the Shin Bet, the suspect provided “findings that tied him to the attack,” the security agency said. Israeli forces also found a handgun suspected to have been used in the attack, the IDF and police added.