Human Rights Office: Recent settler attacks reflect a broader pattern of increasing violence against Palestinians

UNHCR spokesman Thameen Al-Khitan said, during a press conference in Geneva, today, Friday, that the escalation of violence comes as the Israeli authorities have intensified home demolitions, property confiscations, arrests, and restrictions on movement, in addition to the continued construction of settlements and settlement outposts. “The forced displacement and transfer of thousands of Palestinians at the hands of Israeli settlers and the army.”

And he said: “The permanent displacement of the Palestinian population within the occupied territory amounts to illegal transfer, and is a war crime. Israel’s transfer of numbers of its civilian population to the territories it occupies also constitutes a war crime.”

Mr. Al-Khitan stressed that the Israeli government’s claim of sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and its annexation constitute a violation of international law and violate the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

He explained that the number of settler attacks recorded during the past month was greater than any other month since 2006, as more than 260 attacks were recorded. It also reported that at least 1,017 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank, including 221 children, at the hands of Israeli security forces and settlers during the period between October 7, 2023 and November 13, 2025.

A UNHCR spokesman told reporters that among the most recent victims in the West Bank was 13-year-old Aysem Jihad Labib Nasser, who died on Tuesday, a month after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli security forces at him and his family, during a settler attack on them while they were picking olives on their lands in Beita, near Nablus.

He also pointed out the killing of two Palestinian children in the town of Al-Jadira in East Jerusalem last week – Muhammad Abdullah Muhammad Taim and Muhammad Rashad Fadl Qasim, who were 16 years old – by Israeli forces’ bullets after they claimed that they had thrown Molotov cocktails.

Mr. Al-Khitan renewed his call on High Commissioner Volker Türk to stop the attacks against Palestinians and their property and to hold those responsible accountable. And he said: “Israel must end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, including by immediately halting all new settlement activity and evacuating all settlers from the occupied Palestinian territory. The Palestinian right to self-determination must be realized.”

Rainwater floods tents in Gaza

In Gaza, hundreds of tents and temporary shelters were inundated with heavy rains that fell on Friday, which had a harsh impact on residents across the Strip, according to a UN spokesman. Stephane Dujarric expressed in the daily press conference his fear that “Thousands of displaced families are now fully exposed to extreme weather conditions, raising health and protection concerns.”.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that partners working to provide shelter support deployed rapid response teams today, and for weeks have been making every effort to mitigate the impact of the expected rains on residents throughout Gaza.

The office reported that just yesterday, about 1,000 tents were distributed to families in Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis, and that between Sunday and Wednesday, partners provided about 7,000 blankets to more than 1,800 families, about 15,000 tarpaulins to more than 3,700 families, and winter clothes to more than 500 families.

Challenges to flood prevention

At the same time, OCHA said that UN partners responsible for water and sanitation reported recent progress in repairing wastewater pumping stations, reducing the risk of sewage overflowing into areas where people are sheltering, and the risk of waterborne diseases.

Shelter partners emphasized that proper flood prevention requires equipment not available in Gaza, including tools to drain water away from tents and remove solid waste and rubble.

OCHA said that since the ceasefire began on October 10, Israeli authorities have rejected 23 requests from nine partners to enter nearly 4,000 pallets of essential supplies, including tents, insulation and framing kits, bedding, kitchen sets, and blankets.

Hazards among the rubble

OCHA further explained that poor living conditions increase people’s exposure to the danger of explosive ordnance, and that children are among the most vulnerable. Some people were injured while collecting firewood. Others are forced to set up tents near areas suspected of containing unexploded ordnance simply because they have no safer options.

Since the ceasefire, mine action partners have recorded more than 10 casualties due to explosive hazards. This risk is exacerbated by the very limited geographical area in Gaza, which leaves little room to avoid areas that may contain unexploded ordnance.

Since the ceasefire, partners have responded to more than 70 requests for explosive risk assessments, supported 32 inter-agency missions, and provided risk education courses to more than 49,000 people across Gaza.

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) confirmed that it can make more efforts as soon as its teams obtain the detection devices, spare parts and equipment necessary for the safe disposal of explosive hazards.