Humanitarian Situation Update #225 | West Bank

The Humanitarian Situation Update is issued by OCHA Occupied Palestinian Territory three times per week. The Gaza Strip is covered on Mondays and Fridays, and the West Bank is covered on Wednesdays. The next update will be issued on 4 October.

Key Highlights

• Israeli forces killed five Palestinians across the West Bank between 24 September and 1 October. In Israel, six Israelis and one foreign national were killed by two Palestinians from the West Bank, one of whom was also killed.
• Israeli authorities demolished or forced the demolition of 32 Palestinian-owned structures across the West Bank in the last week of September.
• Humanitarian actors are set to support Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season through protective presence, documentation and advocacy, amid Israeli-imposed access restrictions and widespread settler violence.

Latest Developments (after 30 September)

• On 1 October, six Israelis and one foreign national, including a 17-year-old girl and two women, were killed, and 16 others injured, in Jaffa city in central Israel by two Palestinian men, one of whom was also killed. Israeli forces subsequently carried out operations in Hebron city, where the perpetrators came from, closing the city's entry and exit points. On the same day, in Jericho, a Palestinian man from the Gaza Strip was killed by missile shrapnel that hit him directly during Iran’s missile attack on Israel. Also on 1 October, two Palestinian men were killed by Israeli forces in Nablus; one was killed during an eight-hour operation in Balata refugee camp and the other was killed while exchanging fire with Israeli forces in the Old City of Nablus.

Humanitarian Developments(24–30 September)

• During the reporting period, three Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and 109 Palestinians, including 58 children, were injured by Israeli forces and settlers. The majority of those injured (104) sustained wounds during operations by Israeli forces, including search-and-arrest operations, across the West Bank. Incidents resulting in fatalities were as follows:
  • On 24 September, Israeli forces shot and killed a 28-year-old Palestinian man during a search-and-arrest operation in Al Fawwar refugee camp (Hebron).
  • On 25 September, Israeli forces, including undercover forces, surrounded a house in Anza (Jenin), where they exchanged fire with Palestinians, while allowing women and children to evacuate. During the operation, the forces shot and killed a 34-year-old Palestinian woman while she was nearby, in the yard of her house.
  • On 26 September, Israeli authorities notified the Palestinian District Coordination Office in Nablus about the passing of a Palestinian man in their custody. The man succumbed to injuries sustained earlier on the same day when he was shot by Israeli forces during an undercover arrest operation in Ein Beit al Mai refugee camp (Nablus).
• Between 7 October 2023 and 30 September 2024, 695 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in addition to two who died of wounds sustained prior to 7 October. These include 678 killed by Israeli forces, 12 by Israeli settlers, and seven where it remains unknown whether the perpetrators were Israeli forces or settlers. During the same period, 23 Israelis, including 16 members of Israeli forces and six settlers, were killed by Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In Israel, attacks by Palestinians from the West Bank resulted in the killing of ten Israelis and seven Palestinian perpetrators.
• During the reporting period, Israeli settlers perpetrated 15 attacks against Palestinians, resulting in the injury of 16 Palestinians, five of them children, and damage to property. Moreover, according to Israeli media sources, Palestinians threw stones at Israeli-plated vehicles on two occasions in Ramallah governorate, resulting in some damage but no reported injuries. Between 7 October 2023 and 30 September 2024, OCHA documented about 1,423 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, of which 140 led to Palestinian casualties, 1,135 led to damage to Palestinian property, and 148 led to both casualties and property damage. Since 7 October 2023, 277 Palestinians households comprising 1,628 people, including 794 children, have been displaced in Bedouin and herding communities across the West Bank, primarily citing attacks by Israeli settlers and impeded access to grazing lands by settlers. The following are key incidents documented during the reporting period:
  • On 24 September, Israeli settlers believed to be from Yitzhar settlement raided the village of Madama in Nablus and stoned Palestinian houses. Palestinian residents threw stones at the settlers who attacked their houses. Israeli forces intervened and shot tear gas canisters, resulting in ten people, including five children, requiring medical treatment for tear gas inhalation.
  • On 26 September, Israeli settlers physically assaulted two Palestinian men and pepper-sprayed two women, in Isteih community (Jericho); all four were injured. Also in Jericho, Israeli settlers from a newly established outpost, attacked Palestinians with sticks, near Al ‘Auja town, and damaged their vehicle.
  • On 24 September, in two incidents, people believed to be settlers vandalized dozens of fig, grape, olive and almond trees in Al Lubban ash Sharqiya and Khirbet Sarra villages (Nablus).

Demolitions and Displacement

• On 30 September, Israeli forces began levelling works for construction of a fence on privately-owned Palestinian land, located along Road 60 in the Area C part of Sinjil village (Ramallah). According to initial reports, tens of trees were uprooted, retaining walls of agricultural land were demolished, and around five dunums of land cultivated with vegetables were bulldozed.
• Overall, during the reporting period, Israeli authorities demolished or forced the demolition of 32 Palestinian-owned structures. Three of them were demolished in East Jerusalem and 24 others in Area C, citing the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible to obtain; and five were demolished within the context of operations in Area A and B. As a result, ten people, including two children, were displaced. Key incidents include:
  • On 25 September, Israeli forces demolished seven agricultural structures and bulldozed 190 trees, water tanks, metal fences, and irrigation pipelines in Beit Ula (Hebron), in an area designated as part of the Israeli-declared “Firing Zone 935.” Five households comprising 32 people including 17 children were affected.
  • On 26 September, Israeli authorities demolished four donor-funded structures, including a residence, an external kitchen, a mobile latrine and a solar panel system, in Hammamat al Maleh - Al Burj herding community (Tubas) for lacking Israeli-issued building permits in Area C. Two people were displaced, including a child.
  • On 30 September, Israeli authorities demolished two livelihood structures in Shu’fat, in East Jerusalem, for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, depriving nine households, comprising 41 people, of their main source of income.
• Between 7 October 2023 and 30 September 2024, Israeli authorities demolished, destroyed, confiscated, or forced the demolition of 1,768 Palestinian structures across the West Bank, displacing more than 4,555 Palestinians, including about 1,910 children.

2024 Olive Harvest Season

• The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture announced that 10 October marks the official start of this year’s olive harvest season. However, the Israeli authorities have set dates for olive harvest access between 23 and 28 October for different governorates. Initial reports suggest that, unlike 2023, Israeli authorities intend to allow farmers to gain access to their lands behind the Barrier, while access to lands near Israeli settlements remains uncertain.
• The annual olive harvest season is a key economic, social and cultural event for Palestinians. Last year's harvest was particularly challenging due to significant movement restrictions and violence by Israeli forces and Israeli settlers that followed the 7 October attack on Israel. More than 96,000 dunums of olive-cultivated lands across the West Bank remained unharvested due to Israeli restrictions on Palestinian access. Consequently, according to the Food Security Sector, Palestinian farmers suffered an estimated total loss of more than 1,200 metric tons of olive oil in the 2023 season, resulting in a direct financial setback of US$10 million. The impact was particularly harsh in the northern governorates of Tulkarm, Qalqiliya and Nablus.
• Access restrictions and widespread settler violence pose high risks and challenges for farmers during the olive harvest season, potentially undermining their livelihoods. The Protection Cluster, led by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), in coordination with OCHA, the Food Security Sector and humanitarian partners are preparing to support Palestinian farmers by providing coordinated protective presence in identified hotspots, documenting incidents of violence, and advocating for people’s rights during the season. Moreover, as part of its emergency response mechanism and 48-hour rapid response, the occupied Palestinian territory Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) has allocated US$750,000 to support two local partners in preparation for the upcoming olive harvest season. These partners are implementing projects aimed at strengthening the resilience of farmers in rural communities. The specific objectives of these projects include the provision of essential tools and equipment, cleaning olive groves to reduce fire risks and prevent losses and improving olive oil storage facilities to ensure higher food quality.
• On 25 September, OHCHR called on Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of Palestinian farmers and access to their lands, emphasizing the need to prevent a recurrence of last year’s restrictions and violence that devastated livelihoods. Failure to do so risks further economic devastation and potential displacement, OHCHR emphasized.

Funding

• As of 2 October, Member States have disbursed about $1.68 billion out of $3.42 billion (49 per cent) requested to meet the most critical needs of 2.3 million* people in Gaza and 800,000 people in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between January and December 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard. (*2.3 million reflects the projected population of the Gaza Strip upon issuance of the Flash Appeal in April 2024. As of July 2024, the UN estimates that about 2.1 million people remain in the Gaza Strip, and this updated number is now used for programmatic purposes.)
• During August 2024, the oPt HF managed a total of 93 ongoing projects, totalling $79.7 million. These projects aimed to address urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (89 per cent) and the West Bank (11 per cent). The projects were strategically focused on education, food security, health, protection, emergency shelter and non-food items, water, sanitation, and hygiene, coordination and support services, multi-purpose cash assistance and nutrition. Monthly updates, annual reports, and a list of all funded projects per year, are available on the oPt Humanitarian Fund webpage, under the financing section.