UN warns of deepening humanitarian needs amid Israeli operations, illegal settler violence

The UN warned Tuesday that ongoing Israeli military operations and illegal Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank continue to place Palestinians at serious risk and deepen humanitarian needs.

In a statement, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said: "Over the past two weeks, OCHA has documented further incidents resulting in the killing and injury of Palestinians."

Between Dec. 9 and 22, "six Palestinians were killed, including five by Israeli forces and one by an Israeli settler," it added, noting that "of the total, four were children."

OCHA also raised alarm over continued displacement across the occupied West Bank, saying that "over 100 Palestinians [were] displaced due to demolitions and evictions over the past two weeks, including 63 in East Jerusalem and the rest in Area C."

Highlighting one incident in particular, OCHA noted that this "includes 50 people, among them 21 children, displaced in a single Israeli demolition of a four-story building in the Silwan neighborhood on Dec. 22 for lacking an Israeli-issued building permit, which is nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain."

According to Palestinian figures, Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 1,102 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, injured nearly 11,000, and detained around 21,000 since October 2023.

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

Turning to the Gaza Strip, OCHA said the UN and its partners "continue to respond to the mounting needs of displaced families and to mitigate the impact of recent winter storms, which have further worsened conditions for thousands of people across the Strip."

However, it warned that "despite these efforts, the humanitarian response has been unable to keep pace with the scale of needs due to ongoing restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities, including on the entry of supplies into Gaza."

OCHA cited infrastructure challenges, saying that "shortages of new materials are complicating efforts to maintain and repair Gaza City's sewage networks, with teams having to use old components."