West Bank facing worst humanitarian crisis since 1967 amid Israeli operations in refugee camps: UN refugee agency

The occupied West Bank is experiencing its most severe humanitarian crisis since 1967, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned Friday, citing large-scale displacement and extensive destruction in refugee camps amid Israeli military operations.

In a statement on the US social media company X, Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, said 33,000 people remain forcibly displaced from northern refugee camps one year after the launch of Israel's "Iron Wall" operation.

"Israeli forces have been demolishing swathes of the camps, reducing the chances for these communities to recover," he added.

Lazzarini said UNRWA teams "are assisting newly displaced Palestine refugees who have been pushed deeper into poverty and have no viable alternatives for healthcare, education and welfare."

He stressed that the agency's ability to continue operations depends on "continued political & financial support from member states."

Since beginning its genocide in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, Israel has intensified its crimes to annex the West Bank, particularly through demolition, displacement of Palestinians and expansion of settlements, according to Palestinian authorities.

Israeli forces and illegal settlers have since killed at least 1,108 Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and injured nearly 11,000, while it has detained 21,000.

Separately, illegal Israeli settlers vandalized a mosque Friday in the northern West Bank, the latest in a string of attacks on places of worship and Palestinian property.

The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, cited local land defense coordinator Thaer Hanani, who said illegal settlers stormed the Beit al-Sheikh Mosque in the Khirbet Tana area, east of Nablus, smashing its contents and forcing worshippers to hold Friday prayers outdoors.

Hanani said illegal settlers also destroyed orchard fencing to allow cattle to graze, damaging Palestinian olive trees. He described the attack as part of repeated assaults on the mosque and worshippers to prevent residents from accessing Khirbet Tana after its population was forcibly expelled early last year.

According to Israel's Peace Now, more than 500,000 illegal settlers live in the West Bank, in addition to over 250,000 in settlements built on occupied East Jerusalem land.

The UN considers Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory illegal under international law and said they undermine the viability of a two-state solution.

Palestinian officials have repeatedly urged the international community to pressure Israel to halt settlement activity.