Violence in the occupied West Bank has intensified, with settler attacks reaching unprecedented levels as the Israeli Government continues to approve new settlements. According to the UN’s human rights office (OHCHR), settlers and Israeli security forces have frequently acted together to attack Palestinian communities.

As of 24 July 2026, 76 Palestinians and one Israeli have died in settler attacks this year. Since the previous Friday, eight Palestinians, including a boy, and two Israeli military members have also been killed in the region. The number of settler attacks has increased annually since 2023, following Hamas attacks on southern Israeli communities, rising to 1,835 attacks in 2025. In the first four months of 2026, there were approximately 190 attacks per month, projecting over 2,000 attacks by year-end, according to the UN’s humanitarian aid office (OCHA).

OHCHR reported that Israeli settlers, incentivized financially by the government, alongside security forces, frequently attack families, burn mosques, and destroy or confiscate property. OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani expressed alarm at the Israeli Government’s announcement to increase settlements and outposts, alongside calls by Israeli leaders for revenge and collective punishment against Palestinian communities, warning of threats to turn the West Bank into another Gaza.

From Jerusalem, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov described the ongoing loss of life as “deeply alarming,” urging Israel to hold perpetrators accountable and all parties to pursue a two-state solution. Alakbarov also noted that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently approved several new settlements, which he called “illegal under international law.”

The escalation follows a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declaring Israel’s occupation of Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank since 1967 illegal and advising countries not to recognize related Israeli actions.

Shamdasani emphasized the urgent need for third States to act collectively to halt the killing and dispossession of Palestinians amid record-high settler attacks and settlement expansions.

Sources