Humanitarian Situation Update #276 | 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. Exceptionally, the next Humanitarian Situation Updates on Gaza and the West Bank and the Gaza Humanitarian Response Update will be issued on Thursday, 3 April.

Key Highlights

• The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank in 2025 has risen to 99, with 60 per cent killed in just four localities, including Jenin and Nur Shams refugee camps.
• Israeli operations continue in the northern West Bank, leaving tens of thousands unable to return to their homes. In Tulkarm city alone, 850 people were forced to leave in just two weeks. Ten UNRWA schools serving over 4,400 students remain closed.
• The number of people displaced by the demolition of homes lacking Israeli-issued building permits this year has reached 431 – twice the figure recorded over the same period in 2024 (219).
• The UN and its partners continue to respond to the deepening needs of displaced families in affected areas in the northern West Bank, including by providing water trucking, food parcels, hygiene kits and other essential items.

Humanitarian Developments

• Between 18 and 24 March, two Palestinian adults were killed and 33 were injured, including four children, across the West Bank. Fatal incidents following that week are listed further down, under “Developments in the northern West Bank.” For more information on casualties and further breakdowns of data, please see the monthly West Bank Snapshot.
  • On 18 March, undercover Israeli forces raided Qalqiliya city, surrounded a café, and fired live ammunition and tear gas cannisters, killing a Palestinian man whose body was later withheld. Three other Palestinians were injured by the forces, including two who were shot with live ammunition and one who was physically assaulted. Two Palestinians were arrested. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that its ambulances were unable to immediately reach the wounded due to intense fire and Israeli-imposed access restrictions. According to the Israeli military, forces shot at Palestinians who had opened fire at them.
  • On 19 March, Israeli forces, including undercover troops, operated in Ein Beit el Mai refugee camp, in Nablus governorate, for 14 hours, killing a Palestinian man and injuring two others. The forces withheld the man’s body and arrested another Palestinian. During the operation, troops forced multiple families out of their homes and turned the houses into military posts. They were able to return once Israeli forces withdrew.
• On 18 March, one Palestinian man died in a hospital in Beit Jala, in Bethlehem governorate, from wounds sustained on 22 February 2024, when he and two other Palestinians carried out a shooting attack near Az Za’ayem checkpoint, in Jerusalem governorate, killing one Israeli settler and injuring at least six others. At the time, Israeli forces wounded him at the scene and killed the two other Palestinian perpetrators. He remained in a coma and in Israeli custody at a hospital until 27 February 2025, when he was released as part of the hostage-prisoner exchange under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire. Another Palestinian, a 17-year-old child from Silwad town, in Ramallah governorate, was declared dead on 23 March by the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, under unclear circumstances, after being held in an Israeli detention centre since September 2024. According to Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP), a Palestinian human rights organization, the boy is the first Palestinian child known to have died in an Israeli prison.
• Between 18 and 24 March, OCHA documented seven incidents involving Israeli settlers affecting Palestinians that led to casualties or property damage. Six Palestinians and one foreigner were injured, and three residential structures, four animal structures, two water tanks and three vehicles were vandalized. Additionally, in one incident, Palestinians threw stones at an Israeli settler’s bus travelling near Hizma village, in Jerusalem governorate, causing damage but no casualties. In one incident on 24 March, armed Israeli settlers, believed to be from Susya settlement, raided the nearby Palestinian community of Susiya, in the Hebron governorate, and reportedly attempted to steal sheep from an animal shelter. When a scuffle erupted between them and residents involving mutual stone throwing, more Israeli settlers arrived, damaged two water tanks and three vehicles, and physically assaulted and injured six Palestinians and one foreigner. Three Palestinians were subsequently arrested by Israeli forces. In another incident, in Salfit on 19 March, a group of Israeli settlers raided Al Matwi area, set fire to four animal tents, attacked the Palestinian owner and ordered him to evacuate the area within two days, a demand he refused.
• On 23 March 2025, Israeli settlers took over a two-storey building located outside the closed military area of Tel Rumeida neighbourhood in the Israeli-controlled H2 area of Hebron city. While the Palestinian family, who lives in two apartments on the first floor, was away visiting relatives, settlers forcibly broke into the building, effectively displacing a Palestinian man, his wife, and three children, and his elderly mother. Upon returning, the family found settlers inside, but Israeli forces prevented them from approaching the building. The settlers claimed to have purchased the property, a claim the Palestinian owners refute. Two days after the takeover, on 25 March, the son’s family of five was able to return to their apartment, while settlers remained in control of the other apartment, where the elderly mother lived, in addition to the second floor which is under-construction. The settlers also sealed the original entrance connecting the two apartments and opened a new external entrance. The newly established settlement raises fears of additional movement restrictions on Palestinians, who already face severe movement restrictions in the H2 area of Hebron.
• Between 18 and 24 March, OCHA documented the demolition of 27 structures across the West Bank for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are nearly impossible to obtain. All the structures were in Area C, except one in East Jerusalem. While no displacement was reported, these demolitions affected 167 people, including 90 children. In one incident, on 18 March, in Rafat village, in Area C of the Jerusalem governorate, Israeli forces demolished six agricultural structures, uprooted hundreds of mature trees and saplings, and destroyed farming equipment. On the same day, they also demolished two animal pens and two solar panel systems consisting of 18 solar panels in Al Mu’arrajat East Bedouin community, in Jericho governorate. Since the beginning of Ramadan on 1 March, 106 structures were demolished across the West Bank for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, compared with 77 structures demolished during all of Ramadan in 2024. Moreover, this year’s lack-of-permit demolitions and displacement have so far surpassed the equivalent period in 2024, with a 33-per-cent increase in the number of structures demolished (363 vs. 273) and a two-fold increase in displacement (431 vs. 219).
• On the third Friday of Ramadan, 22 March, it is estimated that about 10,000 Palestinians holding West Bank ID cards crossed through checkpoints to reach Al Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem. This figure matches the number of people who crossed on the third Friday of Ramadan in 2024 but is only one quarter of the estimated 40,000 who accessed East Jerusalem on the third Friday of Ramadan in 2023, before 7 October. As in previous years, access to holy sites during Ramadan, particularly to Al Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem and Al Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, is facilitated by Israeli authorities but remains limited to Fridays and is subject to gender and age restrictions. In addition, access to East Jerusalem requires an Israeli-issued permit, which is often difficult to obtain for nearly three million Palestinians holding West Bank ID cards, and not possible for 2.1 million Palestinians in Gaza. According to measures announced by Israeli authorities, men over 55 and women over 50, with a valid magnetic ID card and a one-day Israeli-issued permit, and children under 12 accompanied by a parent with a birth certificate, were eligible to cross into East Jerusalem through two Barrier checkpoints – Qalandiya in the north and Gilo/300 in the south. Access was permitted only between 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., with mandatory entry and exit registration at the checkpoint. In Hebron’s restricted H2 area, it is estimated that 3,500 Palestinians performed Friday prayers at Al Ibrahimi Mosque on the third Friday of Ramadan, compared with about 7,000 people in 2024. Israeli forces allowed men over 50 and women of all ages to enter without inspection, while men between 27 and 50 years of age were subject to inspection. Males under 27 were generally denied entry unless accompanied by family members. Access was only permitted via Al Ibrahimi Mosque Entrance checkpoint. Abu Rish and As Salaymeh checkpoints (CP 160), which are usually open throughout the week, remained closed for the third consecutive Friday, hindering access to the mosque especially for the residents who live outside the restricted area of H2, forcing them to make a detour to reach the mosque.

Developments in the northern West Bank

• For more than nine weeks, Israeli forces have been carrying out a large-scale operation in the northern West Bank, particularly in Jenin refugee camp (since 21 January) and Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps (since 27 January). As a result, tens of thousands of people have been displaced, including about 16,600 people from Jenin camp, 12,100 people from Tulkarm camp, and 10,000 people from Nur Shams camp as of 28 February. On 18 March, Israeli forces launched an operation in the Ein Beit al Mai refugee camp, in Nablus governorate, which lasted about 14 hours and resulted in one fatality (see above).
• On 25 March, undercover Israeli forces surrounded a shop in Qalqilya city where a Palestinian man wanted by Israeli forces was present. Additional forces arrived, ordering the man to surrender, after which armed clashes ensued between the forces and Palestinians. Israeli forces reportedly used an explosive drone inside the shop, which killed the man, whose body has been withheld by the forces. Another Palestinian man was injured by live ammunition. On 26 March, in Beita village, in Nablus governorate, Israeli forces shot and killed an 18-year-old Palestinian man who was reportedly throwing stones at Israeli settlers’ vehicles travelling on Road 60. Israeli forces have withheld his body.
• In total, since the beginning of 2025, 99 Palestinians, including 17 children and three women, have been killed by Israeli forces across the West Bank, the majority within the context of the ongoing Israeli forces’ operation in the northern West Bank. Of the total number of fatalities, 60 per cent were in four localities: Jenin camp (25 fatalities), Tammun town in Tubas governorate (15 fatalities), Jenin city (12 fatalities), and Nur Shams camp in Tulkarm governorate (8 fatalities). In addition, two Palestinians succumbed to wounds sustained in 2024 when they were injured by Israeli forces, including one in Bethlehem (see above) and one in Nur Shams refugee camp. Seven Israelis, including five members of Israeli forces, were killed by Palestinians in the West Bank so far in 2025, all of them in the northern West Bank. These include: three Israelis shot and killed near Al Funduq village, in Qalqilya governorate; one Israeli killed during an exchange of fire in Jenin camp; one Israeli killed by an improvised explosive device that detonated next to an Israeli military vehicle in Tammun town, in Tubas governorate; and two Israelis shot and killed at Tayasir checkpoint, in Tubas governorate. In Israel, there have been no Israeli fatalities by Palestinians from the West Bank so far in 2025.
• On 22 March, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini marked 60 days since the start of the ‘Iron Wall’ operation by Israeli forces, calling it the “longest and most destructive operation in the occupied West Bank since the second intifada.” He added that the operation “has caused systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure and homes, aiming to permanently change the character of Palestinian cities and refugee camps at a scale unjustifiable by any purported military or law enforcement aims,” warning that displaced Palestinians face “uncertain prospects for return.” UNRWA continues to provide emergency assistance, urging immediate action to facilitate the return of displaced families and restore essential services, including education and health care.
• Since February, Israeli forces have demolished dozens of homes and infrastructure across the northern West Bank, which humanitarian actors have been unable to systematically assess due to the lack of access. In Jenin camp, according to initial estimates by local authorities, more than 600 residential units have been rendered uninhabitable, in addition to an estimated 66 residential structures that have been slated for demolition by an Israeli military order for military purposes that affects about 280 families. In Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, local sources reported multiple explosions and bulldozer activity by Israeli forces, with at least 40 homes either demolished or slated for demolition since 18 February and many families prevented from returning. In addition, according to PRCS, its teams have helped about 200 families comprising nearly 850 people from the northern neighbourhood of Tulkarm city to evacuate their homes over the past two weeks, following Israeli forces’ orders to the families to leave their homes including through notifications communicated by the Palestinian District Coordination Offices (DCOs). Most of these displaced people have been staying with relatives, and about 27 have reportedly returned in the last two days.
• The UN and its partners continue to respond to the deepening needs of displaced families in affected areas in the northern West Bank, including by providing water trucking, food parcels, hygiene kits and other essential items. On 24 March, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the Israeli forces’ operation in the northern West Bank are in an “extremely precarious” situation, lacking adequate shelter, essential services, and access to health care. MSF highlighted the growing mental health crisis among those affected, with many suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression. MSF teams are providing mobile medical services, distributing hygiene kits and food parcels, and supplying water to the main hospital in Jenin. The NGO called for an immediate halt to the forced displacement of Palestinians, noting that “needs in the West Bank are only getting worse.”
• The ongoing Israeli operation in the northern West Bank has severely disrupted access to education. Ten UNRWA schools, serving over 4,400 students, remain closed; these include four schools in Jenin refugee camp which have been closed since early December during the Palestinian forces’ operation, four schools in Tulkarm refugee camp, and two in Nur Shams refugee camp. As of 23 February, UNRWA has activated remote learning for its students who have been displaced. Furthermore, since 21 January, some government schools in surrounding areas have shifted to remote learning due to insecurity or because they have served as shelters for displaced families. As of 25 March, there are 40 government schools, including 32 in Tulkarm and eight in Jenin, that have been implementing remote learning modalities, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Education (MoE). Movement restrictions, forced displacement, and the destruction of learning spaces have further limited access to education. A multisectoral needs assessment conducted on 25 and 26 February found that nearly 12,000 displaced children have been affected, some staying in public shelters with no access to learning spaces or school supplies and many facing limited public transportation options to reach schools amid access restrictions. According to MoE, since the beginning of 2025 and as of 21 March, 3,752 incidents involving Israeli forces affecting governmental schools were reported across the West Bank, along with 25 incidents involving Israeli settlers, 77 per cent of which took place in the northern West Bank. These incidents included forces or settlers breaking into schools, weapons firing, detention of students or school staff, and delays or harassment on the way to school. These figures mark a sharp increase compared with 2024, when 2,274 incidents were recorded throughout the year, according to MoE.

Funding

• As of 27 March 2025, Member States have disbursed approximately US$175.4 million out of the $4.07 billion (4.3 per cent) requested to meet the most critical humanitarian needs of three million out of 3.3 million people identified as requiring assistance in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2025, under the 2025 Flash Appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Nearly 88 per cent of the requested funds are for humanitarian response in Gaza, with just over 12 per cent for the West Bank. Moreover, during February 2025, the OPT Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) managed 87 ongoing projects, totalling $62.6 million, to address urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (86 per cent) and the West Bank (14 per cent). Of these projects, 50 are being implemented by international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), 25 by national NGOs and 12 by UN agencies. Notably, 37 out of the 62 projects implemented by INGOs or the UN are being implemented in collaboration with national NGOs. For more information, please see OCHA’s Financial Tracking Service webpage and the oPt HF webpage.