Palestinians and US journalist injured by Israeli settlers in West Bank harvest attack

Dozens of masked settlers have attacked Palestinians and set fire to cars and olive trees during the annual olive harvest in the occupied West Bank.

A BBC team witnessed one of several attacks in farmland near the Palestinian village of Abu Falah. A local official said the attacks had injured 12 Palestinians, including four dual Palestinian American citizens. A foreign journalist was also among those hurt.

Driving into the area early in the morning, we came across the first signs of the violence : a stream of cars carrying wounded Palestinian olive farmers racing out along the narrow stony track, piled high with olive picking equipment, as smoke rose from several fires nearby.

The bloodied face of Majdi Fheed peered out from the backseat of one car.

"We were getting our olive trees and almost 15 Jewish guys … started attacking us with guns, with rocks, with special weapons. They hit me on my head [and] my neck – look, I am bleeding!"

Yaser AlKam, a council member from the neighbouring village of Turmus Aya told me Majdi - an American citizen - was attacked by settlers with nail-studded sticks, and needed treatment for deep wounds on his head. His elderly mother was also injured.

Another man ferrying the injured to hospital told us that settlers had attacked them with sticks while they harvested their olives, and had burned three cars – including one of his own.

"As soon as we got to the land and put our things on the ground, they started to come, so we ran away" said a woman next to him.