Humanitarian Situation Update #283 | West Bank

The Humanitarian Situation Update on the West Bank is issued by OCHA Occupied Palestinian Territory once a week. As of 25 April, the Humanitarian Situation Update on the Gaza Strip and the Humanitarian Situation Update on the West Bank will both be issued on Wednesdays. The Gaza Humanitarian Response Update is issued every other Tuesday. The next Humanitarian Situation Updates will be published on 30 April.

Key Highlights

• Displacement in the West Bank is on the rise; over the past week, Israeli forces ordered 14 families to leave their homes in Tulkarm city, while continuing to prevent tens of thousands of previously displaced people from returning to their homes in refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarm.
• Seven additional families were displaced in Ramallah governorate, citing settler violence or by home demolitions for lacking Israeli-issued building permits.
• A Palestinian man died of a heart attack, which medical sources report was triggered by tear gas inhalation, during an Israeli settler attack where Israeli forces assaulted him and others.
• Six Palestinians were injured by Israeli settlers, including one who was shot and later had his leg amputated.
• Humanitarian concerns related to settlement activities are mounting; so far in 2025, Israeli authorities have advanced plans for over 15,000 settlement housing units, further entrenching a coercive environment that places many Palestinians at risk of forcible transfer.

Humanitarian Developments

• Between 15 and 21 April, Israeli forces killed six Palestinians, including one child, and injured at least 32 others, including 12 children, across the West Bank. During the same period, two Palestinians from the West Bank died in Israeli custody under unclear circumstances.
  • On 16 April, Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the bodies of two Palestinians with whom they exchanged fire; the incident involved the use of shoulder-fired explosives by Israeli forces at a cave outside of Qabatiya village, south of Jenin.
  • On 17 April, Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the bodies of two Palestinians, including a 16-year-old boy, who were reportedly throwing stones at Israeli vehicles on Road 90 near Osarin village, south of Nablus. Another Palestinian was injured. The incident followed the announcement of the death of a Palestinian from the village in Israeli custody (see below), three days before he was set to be released.
  • On 20 April, Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the body of a Palestinian man near Homesh settlement, located between Nablus and Jenin governorates, north of Nablus city. According to the Israeli military and local sources, the man opened fire toward Israeli forces at the checkpoint near Homesh, causing no injuries. Following the incident, Israeli forces closed the road between Nablus and Jenin, restricting access in the area for a few hours. Homesh is one of four settlements in the northern West Bank that were evacuated in 2005 as part of Israel’s disengagement plan. Despite its evacuation, the settlement was later re-established as a religious school. In May 2023, the Israeli military lifted the ban on the entry of Israelis to the site and allocated land to a settlement regional council. Shortly after, Israeli settlers began erecting new structures as part of a broader Israeli initiative to “regularize” the settlement, which is built on privately-owned Palestinian land. Palestinian landowners have been denied access to their land ever since, with impact on their livelihoods.
  • Two Palestinian detainees died in unclear circumstances after they were transferred from Israeli prisons to hospitals between 17 and 21 April, according to the Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority, the Commission for Prisoners and Ex-Detainees Affairs, and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club. The first detainee was from Osarin village, in Nablus governorate, and had been detained since 22 March 2024. The second detainee was from Al 'Ubediya town, in Bethlehem governorate, and had been detained and hospitalized since 18 September 2023. According to the same sources, this brings the total number of Palestinians who have died in Israeli custody since 7 October 2023 to 65.
• Between 15 and 21 April, OCHA documented the demolition by Israeli authorities of nine structures for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are nearly impossible to obtain. Eight of them were in Area C and one in East Jerusalem. This led to the displacement of 18 Palestinians, including ten children, in one incident in Ni’lin village, in Ramallah governorate.
• On 16 April, Israeli forces punitively demolished an under-construction, semi-finished two-storey residential house in Jenin city. The house belonged to the family of two Palestinian brothers who were killed by Israeli forces in an exchange of fire on 5 July 2024 and were accused of killing an Israeli soldier on 27 June 2024. The family (comprising four people) was displaced during the killing of the two brothers, as the building was struck and destroyed by multiple shoulder-fired explosives and was set to return to the building once it was rebuilt. They reported receiving the punitive demolition order on 13 February 2025.
• Between 15 and 21 April 2025, OCHA documented at least 23 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians that resulted in casualties or property damage. These attacks led to the death of one Palestinian and the injury of 24 Palestinians, six of whom were injured by Israeli settlers using metal sticks, pepper spray, and live ammunition or through physical assault and 18 by Israeli forces. Additionally, three families comprising nine Palestinians, including three children, were displaced citing settler violence.
  • On 17 April, Israeli settlers shot and injured a 60-year-old Palestinian man in the Ar Rakeez community of Masafer Yatta, in Hebron governorate. The man was working on his land with his 15-year-old son when armed Israeli settlers arrived and demanded they leave. When the farmer refused, the settlers began firing shots into the air and then shot the man in the leg. Residents called Israeli forces, who arrived at the scene and detained both the injured man and his son. The injured man was transported to Soroka Hospital in Israel, where his leg was amputated. Both the father and son were released after three days.
  • On 17 April, armed Israeli settlers, including some wearing military-like uniforms and known to the residents of Kobar village, in Ramallah governorate, stopped a Palestinian-owned vehicle at gunpoint and stole their mobile phones. When the Palestinians refused to hand over the vehicle and the five sheep loaded in it, the settlers called Israeli forces, claiming that one of the sheep had been stolen from them. The forces then confiscated the vehicle and the sheep and handed them over to the settlers. The two Palestinians were later detained at a nearby Israeli settlement, where they were reportedly blindfolded and handcuffed. They were released later that evening. Following the incident, a Palestinian family (comprising two people) decided to leave the village, citing ongoing violence by Israeli settlers in the western area of the village since the establishment of a new settlement outpost in March 2025. Since then, OCHA has documented six attacks by settlers against Bedouin families living on the outskirts of Kobar village. Four other Bedouin families reside in the area and have subsequently moved two livestock structures to an alternative location out of fear that settlers would steal their livestock.
  • On 21 April, a 48-year-old Palestinian man died of a heart attack, which medical sources report was triggered by tear gas inhalation. This happened after he was physically assaulted by Israeli forces, who also fired tear gas cannisters while accompanying Israeli settlers who raided Sinjil town, in Ramallah governorate. During the incident, Israeli forces injured 17 other Palestinians, including four children, and Israeli settlers physically assaulted and injured three Palestinians. The incident unfolded after Palestinians from the town gathered to access their lands and demonstrate against the establishment of a settlement outpost on privately-owned Palestinian land in Area B on the southern outskirts of the town the day before. According to local sources, more Israeli settlers gathered in the area and attacked the Palestinians with stones and metal poles, injuring three people. The settlers then proceeded to burn property, including four tents, three vehicles and an agricultural room. As a result, two Palestinian Bedouin households comprising seven people, including three children, were displaced; and some of their livestock was stolen or killed. The displaced families had moved to the area after being displaced in 2023 from Wadi As Seeq Bedouin community, in Ramallah governorate, citing settler violence and access restrictions.
• Humanitarian concerns related to settlement activities are mounting as the Israeli authorities are set to approve over 3,400 settlement housing units to expand Nofey Rachel and Gilo settlements in East Jerusalem (2,550 units), Givat Ze’ev settlement in Area C of Jerusalem governorate (16 units), Talmon and Ma’ale Amos settlements in Ramallah governorate (734 units), and Kfar Tapuah settlement in Salfit governorate (105 units), according to Israeli NGOs. According to Peace Now, an Israeli NGO, “since the beginning of 2025, including the plans slated for approval next week [starting 27 April], the [Israeli Higher Planning] Council has advanced a total of 15,190 housing units in less than four months,” an all-time record. Settlements are illegal under international humanitarian law as they violate Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of the occupying power’s civilian population into occupied territory. The establishment and constant expansion of settlements has been a key driver of humanitarian vulnerability. Settlements and settler violence have deprived Palestinians of their property and sources of livelihood, restricted their access to services, triggered displacement, and contributed to sustaining a coercive environment that places many Palestinians in Area C, East Jerusalem and the H2 area of Hebron city at risk of forcible transfer, which in turn have generated demand for protection and assistance from the humanitarian community.
• In East Jerusalem, the Israeli NGO Ir Amim reported that the two plans for the expansion of Nofey Rachel and Gilo Southeast settlements will cover lands situated along the southern boundary of East Jerusalem, which would decrease geographic contiguity of the built-up areas and agricultural land of Palestinian communities. The Nofey Rachel plan on the western slopes of the Palestinian neighbourhood of Umm Tuba, which also serves as the main entrance to the neighbourhood, will further isolate the community, enclosing it and disconnecting it from other Palestinian areas, including Beit Safafa to its northwest and Beit Sahour and Bethlehem city to its south. The Gilo Southeast plan sets to establish 1,900 housing units on approximately 176 dunums (43.50 acres) of open land situated between Route 60 and the existing Gilo settlement. A large portion of the land is filled with Palestinian-owned olive groves belonging to the town of Beit Jala, in Bethlehem governorate, putting the groves at risk of being razed and owners at risk of being denied access to their lands and deprived of important sources of livelihood.
• During the Easter celebrations of Holy Saturday on 19 April, Israeli forces deployed dozens of flying checkpoints in and around the Old City of Jerusalem, including at the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, restricting access to the church. According to eyewitnesses and the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Israeli forces erected barriers and assaulted worshippers as they attempted to access the holy site. The entry of Palestinian Christians holding West Bank IDs into East Jerusalem was restricted through limited permits issued by Israeli authorities. Father Ibrahim Faltas, Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land, reported that only 6,000 permits were issued by Israeli authorities this year to West Bank Christians. This is the second year in a row that only a small number of pilgrims were able to participate in Easter celebrations, as access restrictions within the Old City denied hundreds access to the church.

Developments in the northern West Bank

• On 23 April, Israeli forces shot and killed a 12-year-old Palestinian boy during a raid on the town of Al Yamun, west of Jenin. According to the Mayor, Israeli forces raided the town in jeeps and fired live ammunition at Palestinians who threw stones at them. Over 90 per cent of the 116 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces across the West Bank between 1 January and 24 April 2025 were in the six northern West Bank governorates of Jenin, Tubas, Tulkarm, Nablus, Qalqilya and Salfit. 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.
• Israeli forces continue to raid homes and public spaces as part of their ongoing operation in Jenin and Tulkarm cities. On 19 April, Israeli forces raided homes and vandalized property in Tulkarm city; they arrested a 15-year-old Palestinian boy and physically assaulted a photojournalist, confiscating his press card and phone. The following day, Israeli forces fired tear gas at two Palestinian journalists covering the operation at the entrance of Jenin camp, entry to which continues to be denied by Israeli forces.
• As tens of thousands of displaced people continue to be prevented from returning to their homes and communities in Tulkarm and Jenin, displacement by Israeli forces continues to expand to neighbourhoods surrounding the refugee camps in Tulkarm. According to the Tulkarm Municipality, between 20 and 21 April, Israeli forces ordered 14 families, mostly non-refugees, to leave their homes in the eastern neighbourhoods of Tulkarm city. The number of displaced people has been difficult to track, partly due to continuous attempts by families to return to their homes, with many displaced multiple times. Since the beginning of the operation by Israeli forces in the northern West Bank on 21 January, most people have been forcibly displaced in raids by Israeli forces, following displacement orders announced through quadcopters or the loudspeakers of mosques, and through Israeli military orders passed on to the Palestinian District Coordination and Liaison Office. In some cases, residents have been given less than 24 hours to leave and have attempted to return or retrieve their belongings but have been denied access, assaulted or detained by Israeli forces.
• Israeli forces continue to impose access restrictions in and around the northern West Bank cities as part of their ongoing operations. On 17 April, the Tulkarm Municipality initiated rehabilitation works on the Nablus-Tulkarm Road that had been agreed between the Palestinian and Israeli authorities. The works proceeded without interference until their completion in the early morning hours of 21 April, with the road fully prepared and layered with base course materials for public use. However, since then until the time of reporting, Israeli forces have prevented Palestinians from using the newly paved road. During the rehabilitation, Israeli forces instructed municipal staff to construct an earth mound around a building the forces have used as a military post. Furthermore, Israeli forces erected a checkpoint along the road, further obstructing access for Palestinian vehicular traffic, contrary to an initial agreement for it to open for public use. According to the municipality, since 20 April, soldiers have regularly prevented people’s access through the road, confiscated vehicle keys, and used several cars to block passage. Furthermore, on 23 April, Israeli forces installed four road gates at all the main entrances to Jenin refugee camp. These measures, combined with the ongoing military presence and reconfiguration of camps’ infrastructure, risk further preventing the return of displaced residents, with Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps currently remaining largely empty. In February, the Israeli Defence Minister instructed Israeli forces to remain in the refugee camps for an extended period, with military posts already being established within camps alongside major bulldozing of infrastructure.

Funding

• As of 24 April 2025, Member States have disbursed approximately $588.1 million out of the $4.07 billion (14.4 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.

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