Humanitarian Situation Update #232 | West Bank

The Humanitarian Situation Update is issued by OCHA Occupied Palestinian Territory twice a week. The Gaza Strip is covered on Tuesdays and the West Bank on Thursdays. As of this week, the Gaza Humanitarian Response Update is issued every other Tuesday. The next Humanitarian Situation Update will be issued on 29 October.

Key Highlights

• Israeli forces killed a Palestinian mother of seven in Jenin while harvesting olives near the Barrier along with other harvesters who did not pose any threat to forces, the UN Human Rights Office reports.  
• Since the beginning of October 2024, OCHA has documented about 180 settler-related incidents in nearly 90 Palestinian communities across the West Bank, 60 per cent of which were related to the olive harvest season. Of the total, 104 incidents led to casualties or property damage.
• Several communities in the occupied West Bank have experienced a surge in attacks and access restrictions to their land following the establishment of Israeli settlement outposts near them; 43 new outposts have been established since October 2023, Peace Now reports.  
• The eight remaining families in Juret Al Khiel community in Hebron governorate were displaced amid ongoing Israeli settler attacks. This community is the 11^th community to become fully displaced in the West Bank, citing attacks by Israeli settlers and access restrictions.

Latest Developments (after 21 October)

• On 22 October, Israeli forces shot in the chest and killed an 11-year-old Palestinian boy during a search-and-arrest operation in Nablus city, while he was reportedly throwing stones along with other boys toward Israeli armoured vehicles. 

Humanitarian Developments (15-21 October) 

• During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians and injured 59 others, including 27 children, in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Two of the fatalities were killed during raids by Israeli forces in Jenin and Tulkarm. On 15 October, Israeli forces killed and withheld the body of a 20-year-old Palestinian man in Jenin refugee camp, during a three-hour operation in which they besieged his house, and the two sides exchanged fire. Seven other Palestinians, including four women, were injured by Israeli forces during the same operation. On 20 October, an Israeli army jeep chased and hit a 20-year-old Palestinian man riding on a motorcycle during a raid in Anabta town and he later died in hospital.  
• The third fatality during the reporting period was a 59-year-old Palestinian mother of seven, who was shot and killed by Israeli forces in Faqua’a village, in Jenin governorate, while she was harvesting olives along with several Palestinian families on their land on the West Bank side of the Barrier. According to the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), the farmers “were not posing any threat whatsoever when Israeli security forces fired multiple shots at them without prior warning.” Noting that this incident "comes in the context of intensified, organized attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian harvesting teams to sabotage the olive harvest, along with use of force by Israeli security forces to block Palestinians' access to their lands in an apparently arbitrary manner," OHCHR emphasized that “restricted access to land and unchecked violence are key features of a coercive environment that is increasingly forcing Palestinians to leave their land." OHCHR urged the Israeli authorities to carry out an investigation into this and other similar incidents of violence by Israeli settlers and forces against Palestinians and called for perpetrators to be prosecuted and effective remedies to be provided to the victims. 
• Another two Palestinian fatalities were documented during the reporting period. An 18-year-old male succumbed to wounds sustained when he was shot in the head with live ammunition by Israeli forces during a raid in Jenin city on 5 July 2024. Furthermore, on 19 October, a 27-year-old Palestinian man died after reportedly colliding with an Israeli force's jeep near Ofra settlement on Road 60, in Ramallah governorate (not counted in the overall number of Palestinians killed since October 2023 below). No Israeli forces were injured. 
• During the reporting period, Israeli settlers perpetrated 41 attacks against Palestinians resulting in casualties, property damage or both; seven Palestinians, including two children, were injured. More than half of these incidents (24 incidents) took place within the context of the olive harvest season, which resulted in the injury of six Palestinians, and left about 670 trees either vandalized or had their crops stolen. Since the beginning of October 2024, about 180 settler incidents were documented, affecting nearly 90 communities, of which some 60 per cent were related to the olive harvest season. These include 104 incidents that resulted in casualties, property damage or both. The following are some of the key settler attacks that took place during the reporting period.  
  • On 18 October, Israeli settlers physically assaulted and injured a Palestinian boy with hearing impairment while he was working on a farm in Wadi Qana, near Deir Istiya town in Salfit governorate. The settlers damaged 40 sacks of fodder and stole an electric generator and a milking machine.  
  • On 18 October, three groups of about 200 Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive harvesters in Yatma village, south of Nablus. The settlers, some armed and reportedly from Rechalim settlement and Eyvatar outpost, fired bullets and threw stones toward farmers in different parts of the village. When Israeli forces arrived at the scene, they fired tear gas cannisters and live bullets in the air and evacuated Palestinian farmers, not allowing them to collect their harvest and tools. As a result, one Palestinian was injured by a stone thrown by settlers, and another suffered from tear gas inhalation. In the afternoon, when the farmers returned to their land, they found that at least 1,000 kilogrammes of collected olives, 18 ladders and 50 mattresses had been stolen. Ten Palestinian families were affected.  
  • On 20 October, a group of armed Israeli settlers believed to be from Asfar settlement raided Juret Al Khiel community in Hebron governorate, vandalizing residential caravans and other property. Eight families comprising 41 members including 13 children, were thus forced to flee, taking refuge along with their sheep in a nearby valley. Upon returning to check on their properties, the families found that four caravans and six solar panels had been vandalized, and the settlers subsequently returned and threatened the families to leave. On 21 October, Israeli settlers erected two tents in the community and as of today, the families have been displaced to Sa’ir town. The eight displaced family are the last remaining families in the community, following the gradual displacement of other families from the community over the past few years; these families had been displaced mainly due to a combination of settler attacks and discriminatory planning processes, which have created a coercive environment that put pressure on people to leave. This community is the 11th community to become fully displaced in the West Bank, citing attacks by Israeli settlers and access restrictions.   
  • On 19 October 2024, dozens of Israeli settlers, some armed and reportedly from Shilo settlement bloc raided and attacked Palestinians southeast of Jalud village, in Nablus. The settlers burnt about 40 dunums of land cultivated with 50 olive trees, causing damage to olive produce, harvesting tools, mattresses and equipment. Settlers also threw inflammable materials at three houses and cars, causing significant damage. One of the houses, home to a 65-year-old woman and her 14-year-old grandson, sustained major damage to the kitchen and two rooms and was rendered temporarily uninhabitable. Three sheep were also shot and killed, and two Palestinians were injured by stones. 
• Restrictions imposed by Israeli forces have further compounded the difficulties faced by Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season. Since 1 October, OCHA has documented at least 25 incidents where Israeli forces attacked Palestinians and restricted their access to agricultural lands, affecting around 700 people. These incidents included various forms of preventing access to agricultural lands. For example, in Sabastiya and Deir Sharaf (both in Nablus), farmers were expelled while harvesting olives, with Israeli forces preventing them from taking their harvested crops. In Yatma (Nablus), Israeli forces confiscated agricultural tools and threatened further action if farmers returned. In Turmusa’yya (Ramallah) and Salim (Nablus), tear gas was used to push farmers off their lands. Additionally, in Kafr ad Dik (Salfit), roads were blocked with earth mounds and rocks, preventing farmers from accessing their lands with vehicles and disrupting the transportation of tools and harvested olives.  
• In a new report, Peace Now, an Israeli NGO, reported that 43 new settlement outposts, primarily farm outposts, have been established in the West Bank since October 2023, compared with an annual average of seven outposts in the nearly three decades prior. While settlement outposts are considered illegal under Israeli law, Peace Now highlighted that the Israeli government financed settlement outposts with NIS28 million (US$7.5 million) in 2023 and allocated to them NIS75 million (US$20 million) in 2024. In addition to authorizing funding for 70 settlement outposts, Israeli authorities have retroactively “legalized” eight settlement outposts (five of which will be established as new settlements) and allocated NIS7 billion (US$1.9 billion) for road infrastructure serving settlements, the NGO added. All Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal under International Humanitarian Law. They also deepen humanitarian needs by affecting livelihoods, food security and access to essential services.  
• Since October 2023, there has been a surge in Israeli settler attacks against Palestinian communities in the West Bank, particularly in areas that are located near old or newly established settlement outposts, as can be illustrated in the following four examples: 
  • In Bethlehem, the residents of Khallet al Louza village saw an escalation of settler attacks since August 2024, following the establishment of a new caravan on Palestinian land in Givat Etam outpost. Five settler attacks in the community were documented by OCHA in the first seven months of the year, compared with eight over the past three months, including five during the current olive harvest season. Of the 13 incidents in 2024, 10 resulted in casualties or property damage. Incidents in October included settlers physically assaulting a farmer and his family, setting fire to 40 olive trees over 50 years old, threatening farmers to stay away from their land, and severely assaulting two elderly farmers and leaving them with limb fractures. 
  • In Ramallah, Burqa village is surrounded by Oz Zion, Givat Assaf, Ramat Migron, and Tsur Harel settlement outposts, with the last one re-established in July 2024. The residents of Burqa village saw an increase in settler attacks since October 2023, with 36 incidents documented by OCHA, compared with three incidents in the first nine months of 2023. A third of the incidents over the past year (12 out of 36) have occurred since July 2024, including ten resulting in casualties and property damage and two entailing harassment, intimidation and restricted access to agricultural land.  
  • In Jericho, the residents of Ras 'Ein al 'Auja Bedouin community have seen a rise in attacks against them since the beginning of 2024, especially following the establishment of a new settlement outpost near the community in May 2024. OCHA documented 67 settler incidents in the community so far in 2024, including 25 that resulted in casualties or property damage, compared with two incidents in all of 2023. The majority of incidents in 2024 (52) took place between 1 May and 21 October 2024.  
  • In Jerusalem, following the establishment of a settlement outpost just 150 metres from Khan Al Ahmar Bedouin community in late August 2024, daily settler attacks have severely restricted movement and access for Palestinians in the area. Settlers have blocked roads by parking vehicles at community entrances, searched vehicles, checked IDs, threatened residents, vandalized Palestinian vehicles parked near the community, and blocked herders’ access to grazing lands.  
• During the reporting period, Israeli authorities demolished or forced the demolition of 24 Palestinian-owned structures across the West Bank, all due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits that are nearly impossible to obtain, including nine in East Jerusalem and 15 in Area C. Half of the structures were homes, which resulted in the displacement of 23 people, including eight children. Seven of the nine structures demolished in East Jerusalem were demolished by their owners; one of these structures was a business facility that provided oxygen to hospitals in East Jerusalem and had been operating since 1957.  
• On 16 October 2024, the Jerusalem Municipality issued a final warning for the demolition of a two-story building in Al Bustan area of Silwan, in East Jerusalem. The building houses Al Bustan Association and an apartment for a family of three. This building had already received a final demolition notice in July 2024 and is now at immediate risk of demolition. Al Bustan Association serves over 1,000 community members, offering youth education programs, legal workshops and scouting activities as well as supporting sports teams, cultural groups and women’s groups. Since early October, the Jerusalem Municipality has issued 14 demolition orders in Al Bustan area, demanding ten families to vacate their homes and clear all belongings within ten days. In total, 87 people now face imminent displacement. The final warnings and demolition orders are part of a plan to build and expand an Israeli settlement project by establishing public spaces designated for Israelis. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), who is representing 85 demolition cases in the community, “Al-Bustan, home to about 1,550 Palestinians and 150 housing units...is near the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. This has led Israeli authorities to focus on increasing the Jewish presence and displacing Palestinians. All structures in Al-Bustan are currently unprotected and at risk of demolition.” 

Key Figures, 7 October 2023 – 21 October 2024 

• In total, 732 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 715 Palestinians 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 16 Israelis and eight Palestinian perpetrators.  
• OCHA documented about 1,536 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, of which 152 led to Palestinian casualties, 1,226 led to damage to Palestinian property, and 158 led to both casualties and property damage. Since 7 October 2023, 285 Palestinians households comprising 1,669 people, including 807 children, have been displaced in Bedouin and herding communities across the West Bank, primarily citing attacks by Israeli settlers and access restrictions.  
• Israeli authorities destroyed, confiscated, sealed or forced the demolition of 1,829 Palestinian structures across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, displacing more than 4,611 Palestinians, including about 1,939 children. These include more than 2,800 Palestinians, including over 1,100 children, who were displaced due to the destruction of homes during operations by Israeli forces.  
• For additional breakdowns of casualties, displacement and settler violence between January 2023 and September 2024, please refer to the OCHA West Bank snapshot. 

Funding 

• As of 24 October, Member States have disbursed about US$2.1 billion out of the $3.42 billion (60 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.)  
• The oPt humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) is currently managing 87 ongoing projects, totalling $77.5 million. These projects aim to address urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (90 per cent) and the West Bank (10 per cent). They are strategically focused on education, food security, health, protection, emergency shelter and non-food items, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), coordination and support services, multi-purpose cash assistance and nutrition. Of these projects, 48 projects are being implemented by international non-governmental organizations, 27 by national NGOs and 12 by UN agencies. Notably, 31 out of the 60 projects implemented by INGOs or the UN are being implemented in collaboration with national NGOs. Moreover, in addition to the four other reserve allocations for 2024, the oPt HF is finalizing its critical and time sensitive First Standard Allocation of US$30 million, aligned with the 2024 oPt Flash Appeal, aiming to rapidly scale up relief efforts to meet the immediate needs of affected people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The allocation includes 16 fast-tracked projects, prioritizing critical winterization preparedness and addressing urgent shelter, WASH, and other emergency needs of IDPs and other vulnerable groups in Gaza. 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.