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NABLUS (Ma’an) -- Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers harvesting olives on their land east of Nablus on Monday, a local monitor told Ma'an.

Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settler activity in the norther West Bank, told Ma'an that a group of settlers from Elon Moreh threw rocks at farmers in the Azmut and Deir al-Hatab areas east of Nablus.

The farmers were forced to leave their land despite having organized access to their fields through the Palestinian and Israeli liaison offices.

Settlers also attacked a 66-year-old man, identified as Hajj Tawfiq, moderately injuring him, Daghlas said.

The attack led to clashes with local Palestinians, with Israeli military forces intervening.

Palestinian towns and villages in the Nablus area are surrounded by Israeli settlements and outposts, many of which are protected by the Israeli military and have gained notoriety for being comprised of the most extremist settlers.

Settlers routinely assault Palestinians and attack their land, often burning olive trees and other agricultural crops.

The already contentious relationship between Palestinians and Israeli settlers has been particularly strained in Nablus in recent months, as Israeli settlers set fire to a house on July 30 in Duma, a small village within the district, burning a toddler alive, and killing the mother and father of the Dawabsha family.