The occupied West Bank has, since 1967, been subjected to a continuous pattern of violations that threaten the lives of Palestinian civilians, amid the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements, widespread demolition of homes and property, escalating violence, and the imposition of severe restrictions on movement and access to essential services.
In this context, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, has warned that the West Bank is experiencing its worst humanitarian crisis since 1967, as a result of Israel’s sustained assaults on Palestinian refugee camps and the forcible displacement of tens of thousands of residents.
In a post on the social media platform X, Lazzarini stated that approximately 33,000 people remain forcibly displaced from camps in the northern West Bank, one year after Israel launched its military operation dubbed “Iron Wall”.
He added that the extensive demolition of homes has severely undermined prospects for community recovery and has deepened poverty and deprivation, in the absence of effective alternatives for healthcare, education, and social services.
Under international law, the occupied Palestinian territory is subject to strict obligations prohibiting forcible transfer and guaranteeing the protection of civilians from attacks and the arbitrary destruction of their homes and property. Forced displacement and home demolitions constitute a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions relating to the protection of civilians in armed conflict and are classified as war crimes under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
Settlement activity in occupied territory also represents a breach of international law, undermines prospects for a peaceful resolution based on the two-state solution, and obstructs the Palestinian people’s fundamental right to self-determination and to live in an independent state.
The West Bank has witnessed an unprecedented escalation in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinian civilians. Since the start of Israel’s military operations in Gaza in October 2023, more than 1,107 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 11,000 injured, and over 21,000 arrested.
This escalation constitutes a continuation of grave human rights violations and underscores the urgent need for immediate international intervention to protect civilians and to halt policies of forced displacement and demolition that threaten to dismantle Palestinian communities across the West Bank.
