Humanitarian Situation Update #240 | 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. The Gaza Humanitarian Response Update is issued every other Tuesday. The next Humanitarian Situation Update will be issued on 26 November.

Key Highlights

• Three Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank every week on average since 7 October 2023, marking a four-fold increase compared to the first nine months of 2023.
• Students are dropping out of schools in the Israeli-controlled H2 area of Hebron due to increasing access restrictions. There are about 13,065 students residing in H2 who have not attended school in-person between October 2023 and May 2024.
• Twenty-five (25) Palestinians, including children, were displaced citing settler violence between 12 and 18 November. Since 7 October 2023, settler violence, intimidation and harassment have displaced 1,722 Palestinians, including 835 children, in Bedouin and other herding communities.

Latest Developments (after 18 November)

• On 20 November, Israeli forces launched multiple air strikes against Kafr Dan (Jenin). Shortly after, Israeli forces raided the town and an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinians was reported. Three Palestinians were killed during the three-hour operation, and Israeli forces withheld the bodies of two of them.
• On 21 November, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man following a raid on Ein Beit el Ma’ refugee camp (Nablus). Exchanges of fire were reported between armed Palestinians and Israeli forces.
• On 20 November, Israeli forces concluded an operation in Jenin and the Jenin refugee camp that lasted about 46 hours. During the operation, two Palestinians were killed, residential shelters were damaged, displacement of residents was reported, and over four kilometres of roads and underlying civilian infrastructure were affected. OCHA and UNRWA, in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority and humanitarian partners are currently assessing the humanitarian needs of the affected population.

Humanitarian Developments (12-18 November)

• During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, including one child, and injured 43 others, including 25 children, across the West Bank. All the incidents resulting in Palestinian fatalities by Israeli forces took place in the northern West Bank, as follows:
• On 12 November, Israeli forces shot and killed an 18-year-old Palestinian man near Deir Sharaf checkpoint, northwest of Nablus city. According to eyewitnesses, the Palestinian man was walking near the checkpoint when Israeli soldiers called him and ordered him to lift his shirt to check for weapons and shot him. According to the Israeli military, the man attempted to stab the soldiers.
• On 13 November, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian men in Ezbet al Jarad, east of Tulkarm city. Undercover Israeli forces surrounded a building where two men and a two-year-old child were present, and an exchange of fire was reported. An eyewitness reported that as one of the two men attempted to surrender and put the child aside, he was shot. The child was injured in the face by shrapnel from live ammunition. Israeli forces withheld the bodies of the men and took the injured child with them. After about an hour, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) received the child from the forces and transported him to the hospital. An additional Palestinian was injured by live ammunition, while he was in the vicinity of the house.
• On 18 November, Israeli forces shot and killed a 17-year-old Palestinian child in Nablus city. Israeli forces raided the Al Masaken neighbourhood, east of Nablus city, and set up a checkpoint to search Palestinian vehicles. After about an hour, the military began withdrawing towards Huwwara checkpoint. During the withdrawal, a confrontation erupted between Palestinians and Israeli forces, with Palestinians throwing stones and Israeli forces firing tear gas and live ammunition, during which the child was shot. The ambulance was delayed for five minutes by the military before it could proceed to the hospital, where the child was pronounced dead upon arrival.
• During the reporting period, 25 of the 43 total Palestinian injuries reported (58 per cent) were children. Among these, 19 schoolgirls were treated for tear gas inhalation after Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters in two separate incidents on 13 and 17 November near their school compound in Al Khadr (Bethlehem). In two other incidents on 13 and 14 November, Israeli forces shot and injured three boys (aged 14 to 15) with live ammunition after forces raided Beit Furik (Nablus) where Palestinians reportedly threw stones at Israeli forces, who fired live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas canisters.
• Since 7 October 2023, a total of 166 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli forces, up from 40 children killed during the first nine months of 2023. This is an average of three Palestinian children killed every week in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem—a four-fold increase compared to the first nine months of 2023. Over 60 per cent of these fatalities occurred in Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas and Nablus governorates, areas that have witnessed intensified Israeli operations over the past year. Among them, 35 children were killed in airstrikes, during which Israeli forces employed lethal, war-like tactics, raising serious concerns about the excessive use of force. Additionally, 1,132 children have been injured, with nearly half (48 per cent) sustaining injuries from live ammunition.
• During the reporting period, OCHA documented 47 incidents involving settlers and affecting Palestinians, including 25 attacks that resulted in casualties, property damage or both. In total, three Palestinians were injured by Israeli settlers, and more than 200 trees were damaged. Since 1 October 2024, OCHA has documented 225 incidents involving settlers directly related to the olive harvest in 82 communities across the West Bank, the majority of which (171 incidents) resulted in casualties or property damage. In this period, eleven Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces*, 55 by Israeli settlers*, and more than 2,500 mostly olive trees and saplings burnt, sawed-off or otherwise vandalized, and many crops and harvesting tools stolen. Furthermore, during the reporting period, five Palestinians households, comprising 25 people, were displaced citing settler violence between 12 and 18 November, from two Bedouin communities in Nablus and Ramallah. Since 7 October 2023, some 295 Palestinian households comprising 1,722 people, including 835 children, have been displaced in Bedouin and other herding communities, primarily citing attacks by Israeli settlers and access restrictions.
• The following are some of the key settler incidents that took place during the reporting period, which entailed intimidation, harassment, physical injury, property damage or a combination thereof, and include cases where Israeli forces were present:
  • On 12 November, Israeli settlers, believed to be from the Sde Efraim settlement outpost, physically assaulted and injured a Palestinian man in the village of Kafr Ni'ma, near Ramallah. The man was working in Area B on the northern side of the village when armed settlers approached and attacked him with the butt of their guns and beat him, breaking two of his fingers. Palestinian villagers transported him to the hospital for treatment.
  • On 14 November, armed Israeli settlers displaced two families in Arab al Ka’abneh, near Duma, southeast of Nablus. According to the affected families, a father and his son were at their houses when they were attacked by settlers. They then forced the families to leave at gunpoint, threatening to set them on fire if they stayed. During the attack, settlers broke the windows and physically assaulted both the father and his son. The father later reported that his family was traumatized and had to leave without gathering their belongings. In total, 16 people were displaced, taking only their 80 sheep with them. No injuries required medical intervention. The family reports that since 7 October, settlers have been harassing them on a regular basis.
  • On 16 November, Israeli settlers believed to be from Itamar settlement, burned three agricultural rooms in Beit Furik village, east of Nablus. According to Beit Furik municipality, around 30 masked settlers attacked the area with stones, sticks, Molotov Cocktails and incendiary materials. Israeli settlers set fire to three agricultural rooms, completely burning them, and caused partial damage to another. During the attack, a Palestinian vehicle was completely burned and the windows of at least three residential houses were broken from stone-throwing. Confrontations ensued between villagers and settlers, who ultimately left toward Itamar settlement.
  • On 17 November 2024, three Palestinian Bedouin households (all registered Palestine refugees), comprising nine people, including three children and three women, dismantled their structures on the eastern outskirts of Area C in Ni'lin village, Ramallah. According to the families, the decision was made due to ongoing intimidation and threats from Israeli settlers from the Magnazi Farm outpost and its extension. Since its expansion at the top of Jabal al Alem three months ago, the families have faced frequent attacks and intimidation by settlers. These attacks intensified this month, with armed Israeli settlers breaking into their shelters, threatening the community at gunpoint to leave, damaging property, and attempting to steal livestock. Furthermore, Israeli settlers have prevented the families from accessing grazing areas around the community. In addition, Israeli settlers also frequently vandalized agricultural lands; causing damage to Palestinian property and restricting Palestinian access to their agricultural lands and olive groves.
  • On 17 November, Israeli settlers physically assaulted and injured a Palestinian truck driver, leaving him injured along a road near Ramallah. The driver was traveling from Jericho to Ramallah along Road 449, also known as Al Mua'rrajat Road, where his vehicle broke down on the road. According to the driver, he was fixing his truck, Israeli settlers attacked him using metal poles and stones. Israeli forces and police arrived at the scene and arrested the Palestinian man, prevented an ambulance from treating him and issued a 1,000 shekel fine before releasing him. Afterwards, the injured man sought medical attention at a nearby hospital.
• During the reporting period, Israeli forces demolished or forced the demolition of 32 Palestinian-owned residential structures due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem. As a result, 21 people, including seven children, were displaced. Four residential structures were demolished in East Jerusalem, including three demolished by their owners, and one demolished by the Israeli authorities in the Al Bustan in Silwan, displacing ten Palestinians. The remaining 28 structures were demolished in Area C, of which 11 were demolished in Rafat (Jerusalem).

Access and Education

• Students are dropping out of schools in the Israeli-controlled H2 area of Hebron city due to intensified access restrictions. Humanitarian actors have assessed that there are about 13,065 students residing in H2 who have not attended school in-person between October 2023 and May 2024. Student enrollment at the Qurtuba School (one of 34 schools in H2) dropped by nearly one-third, decreasing from 157 to 110. The school is located on Ash Shuhada Street, which has been closed for Palestinian access since 7 October 2023, and has historically seen heavy access restrictions imposed on Palestinians. Teachers and students are now forced to take a detour through an olive grove, which is also used by settlers and has increased the feeling of insecurity of the students and staff. Seventy out of 285 students at Ziyad Jaber school have either transferred to other schools or have relocated out of H2 with their families. The checkpoint was closed on 7 October 2023 and students who live behind the checkpoint (inside the restricted area) are forced to take a four to five-kilometre detour to reach the school. The Ministry of Education in Hebron city shifted some of the schools to online classes, but families have had limited or no access to the internet or remote electronic devices. These schools have reported a 25-per-cent online attendance rate since October 2023.
• On 7 October 2023, Israeli forces placed the H2 area under full closure and imposed a curfew on its residents until 22 October 2023. Since then, Israeli forces have imposed a new system regulating the movement of Palestinian residents in H2 through designated checkpoints. This has deteriorated residents' access to basic services, further exacerbating the already difficult living conditions. The imposed system of access restrictions continues to prohibit movement between Palestinian neighborhoods within the closed areas of H2, as well as to the Ibrahim Mosque and its charity soup kitchen. Since 7 October, at least 330 Palestinians, including 40 children, across H2 have been detained at checkpoints, during search-and-arrest operations, or by ad-hoc detentions by Israeli forces.

Funding

• As of 21 November, Member States have disbursed about US$2.3 billion out of the $3.42 billion (68 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.) 
• As of October 2024, the occupied Palestinian territory Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) has prioritized support for the olive harvest season through a series of resilience-building projects. Approximately 17 per cent of the Fund’s overall US$60 million allocation has been directed toward critical interventions in the West Bank, aligned with the 2024 Flash Appeal. Through the Emergency Reserve Allocation (48-Hour), $5 million was mobilized, including $750,000 allocated to two local partners specifically for the olive harvest. These projects focus on expediting the harvest by providing essential tools, clearing groves to reduce fire risks, and upgrading storage facilities to enhance food quality. An additional $5 million was allocated through the Standard Allocation mechanism, with the aim of rapidly scaling up relief efforts to address immediate needs of affected populations. Of this amount, $1.5 million was specifically earmarked for food security projects to improve household income and promote sustainable agricultural practices, including olive harvest support, to strengthen long-term food security and resilience for vulnerable populations. 

* Asterisks indicate that a figure, sentence, or section has been rectified, added, or retracted after the initial publication of this update.