U.N. cites surge in West Bank settler attacks; OCHA records highest monthly toll in nearly 20 years
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Summary
U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded 264 settler attacks last month, the highest monthly figure in nearly two decades, leading to displacement, deaths and loss of livelihoods, the U.N. spokesperson said.
The U.N. spokesperson, Farhan, cited statistics from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs showing 264 settler attacks in the West Bank last month — "the highest monthly toll in nearly two decades of record keeping," he said.
Farhan said that since October 2023 more than 3,200 Palestinians have been displaced because of settler violence and related access restrictions. He added that entire herding communities have been depopulated, people killed and hundreds injured, and many have lost access to livelihoods.
The spokesperson noted that OCHA records daily reports of other settler actions — intimidation, trespassing, threats and harassment — that are not always reflected in published figures but contribute to a coercive environment pushing people off farmland and out of their homes.
According to the briefing, OCHA has documented over 9,600 such attacks since 2006, with roughly 1,500 occurring this year so far. The spokesperson also cited confirmed data that 42 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank this year, representing about one in five of the Palestinian fatalities recorded there in 2025.
The briefing did not announce any U.N. administrative action or Security Council measure; it reiterated monitoring, reporting and reminders to Israel of its obligations under international law.
