Illegal Israeli settler attacks displace 818 Palestinians in West Bank this month: UN

The UN on Wednesday warned that illegal Israeli settler attacks and demolitions are forcing hundreds of Palestinians from their homes in the occupied West Bank, with 818 residents displaced this month.

In a statement, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said 688 Palestinians were uprooted from eight communities due to settler violence, accounting for more than 40% of all displacement linked to settlers in 2025.

OCHA reported that an additional 130 Palestinians were displaced by demolitions, bringing the number of people forced from their homes to 818.

Noting that the remaining 100 residents of the Ras Ein al'Auja Bedouin community near Jericho were compelled to leave after repeated attacks and threats by illegal Israeli settlers, OCHA said, "The community is now completely empty."

Illegal settlers also damaged or blocked access to grazing land and prevented herders from using a nearby spring, while livestock theft and property damage have also undermined livelihoods, it said.

"Since yesterday, Israeli forces have reportedly been demolishing dozens of Palestinian-owned structures" in the Kafr Aqab area of East Jerusalem, said OCHA.

The agency noted that 2025 recorded the highest levels of demolitions in East Jerusalem in nearly two decades, as it is conducting assessments and working with humanitarian partners to provide urgently needed support to displaced families.

More than 500,000 illegal Israeli settlers live in settlements and outposts across the West Bank, while another 250,000 live in settlements built on land in the occupied East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli left-wing group Peace Now.

Illegal settlers have escalated attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank since the outbreak of the onslaught on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

According to Palestinian figures, Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 1,109 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, injured nearly 11,000, and detained 21,000 since October 2023.

The International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal in a landmark opinion in July 2024, and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.