Geneva, The United Nations has released a report detailing a rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, after October 7, 2023. The report urgently calls on Israel to end unlawful killings and settler violence against the Palestinian population and to halt the use of military weapons and tactics in law enforcement operations.
According to Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, since October 7, 2023, 300 Palestinians, including 79 children, have died in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israeli Security Forces are responsible for at least 291 of these deaths, with settlers accounting for eight, and one Palestinian killed either by Israeli Security Forces or settlers. This marks the highest number of Palestinian deaths in a ten-month period since the UN began keeping records in 2005.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed concern over the use of military tactics and weapons in law enforcement contexts and the enforcement of broad, arbitrary, and discriminatory movement restrictions against Palestinians. He noted that the intensity of violence and repression has reached levels not seen in years.
The report also highlights the escalation of violence following attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in southern Israel. It describes a sharp increase in Israeli airstrikes and incursions into densely populated areas in the West Bank, leading to deaths, injuries, and extensive property damage.
One notable incident occurred on October 19 and 20, when a 30-hour-long incursion by Israeli Forces into Nur Shams Refugee Camp in Tulkarem resulted in the deaths of 14 Palestinians, including six children. The report also documents over 4,700 arrests by Israeli Security Forces, including about 40 journalists, and details various forms of ill-treatment of detainees.
The report further notes a significant rise in settler attacks, averaging six incidents per day, often involving shootings, home and vehicle burnings, and destruction of Palestinian olive trees, a vital income source for many.
Türk called for an immediate end to settler violence, thorough investigations into all incidents of violence, protection of Palestinian communities, and ensuring the return of displaced herding communities to their lands.
Additionally, the report criticizes severe and systematic movement restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on Palestinians across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, severely impacting their daily lives.
The High Commissioner reiterated calls for a halt to coercive measures and expressed concerns regarding forcible transfers, emphasizing the need for accountability for both settler and Israeli Security Forces violence. Türk urged Israel to grant the UN Human Rights Office access to the country to facilitate balanced reporting on the situation.