HAMILTON, Canada
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Tuesday reported the “highest number” of illegal Israeli settler-linked incidents in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The report covers incidents “since the office began keeping records almost two decades ago,” it said in a statement.
OCHA noted that “around 1,400 such incidents – including physical assaults, arson attacks, raids on Palestinian communities and the destruction of fruit trees – have resulted in Palestinian casualties, damage to property, or both.”
“This is nearly four incidents per day,” said OCHA.
It also added that 12% of internally displaced Palestinians in the occupied West Bank “have cited settler violence and access restrictions as the main reasons that forced them out of their homes or communities.”
“This year has also marked the second highest number of Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank since OCHA’s records began, following 2023, which was the highest,” said OCHA.
The statement further reported that more than 480 Palestinians, including children, were killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
“OCHA notes that most of them were killed by Israeli forces,” it said.