Violence, Israeli settlement make life ‘intolerable’ for Palestinians in West Bank: Red Cross

Violence, movement restrictions and accelerating Israeli settlement expansion are making living conditions increasingly "intolerable" for Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday.

The ICRC said dozens of Palestinians have been killed, hundreds injured and many more displaced this year, while homes and property have been damaged or destroyed, leaving families without shelter or livelihoods.

"The frequent and severe violence must be brought to an end," said Julien Lerisson, head of the ICRC delegation for Israel and the Palestinian occupied territories.

"(Israeli) authorities have a responsibility to protect the population from violence, including when that violence is inflicted by settlers. What international humanitarian law says on the protection of private and public property, and on the population's access to essential services, must be respected," he added.

The ICRC said the humanitarian impact of the violence, including loss of life and serious injuries, is "overwhelming."

It warned that movement restrictions are preventing patients from reaching health care, children from attending school and people from accessing their homes and livelihoods.

The restrictions are pushing families and entire communities into "increasingly intolerable conditions in which to live," the organization said.

The ICRC said ambulances are sometimes held for hours at checkpoints and roadblocks or forced to take longer routes to avoid road closures and violence, making it harder for first responders to reach people in need.

It said that "Israel has a right to take measures to ensure its own security. However, as the occupying power in the West Bank it also has a responsibility towards Palestinians, who are protected persons under international humanitarian law."

The occupying power is required to treat protected persons humanely at all times, protect them from acts or threats of violence and make every effort to restore and maintain public order and civil life, the ICRC said.

"Upholding international humanitarian law and respecting obligations under the law of occupation are necessary steps towards restoring the safety and dignity of the population," Lerisson said.

"This means protecting civilians from violence and ceasing the expansion of civilian settlements," he added.

The statement comes amid an escalation in violence by Israeli occupiers in the occupied West Bank, alongside tighter restrictions on Palestinian movement and illegal settlement expansion.

According to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Israeli occupiers carried out 628 attacks against Palestinians and their property across the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, in August.

In June, 14 UN special rapporteurs warned that the sharp rise in "settler terror" with state support and complicity in the occupied Palestinian territory posed an existential threat to Palestinian communities.

Since the start of Israel's genocide on Gaza in October 2023, Israeli forces and occupiers have intensified attacks across the West Bank, killing 1,206 Palestinians, injuring around 13,350 others, and detaining more than 24,600, according to Palestinian figures.