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HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Israeli settlers destroyed 30 olive trees in a Palestinian grove in the south Hebron hills on Thursday, a local official said.

The trees in al-Hamra valley, neighboring the Havat Maon settler outpost, are owned by the al-Rabee family, popular committee coordinator Rateb al-Jabour said.

Al-Jabour condemned aggression by settlers in the area, and said the attitude of the Israeli authorities gives permission to the settlers to conduct such acts.

Italian peace group Operation Dove said 97 Palestinian trees have been destroyed since January, and the largest amount has taken place in the Humra valley.

Also on Thursday, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory visited the south Hebron hills village Jinba, one of eight slated for demolition by Israeli authorities to make way for a military training zone.

Maxwell Gaylard said: "These are already some of the most vulnerable families in the West Bank -- forcibly displacing them from their homes and lands would have a serious immediate and long-term impact on their physical, socio-economic and emotional welfare."