563 Palestinians killed in West Bank since Oct. 7: UN report
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"Israel" is gradually expanding its genocidal efforts in the Gaza Strip by committing additional war crimes in the West Bank.
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Israeli forces killed five Palestinians at a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on December 17, 2023. (AFP)
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and settlers have killed 563 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the beginning of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, the United Nations reported, highlighting the mass killing and displacement of Palestinians.
548 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers, with 10 lives claimed by Israeli settlers since October 7, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed in a report released on Wednesday, adding that seven cases were not determined to have been killed by the IOF or settlers.
Five Palestinians were martyred, including two women and three Resistance fighters, in an Israeli drone aggression early Tuesday targeting the Tulkarm refugee camp.
The Tulkarm governate has the highest number of Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank, accounting for 22% of total deaths, with 115 lives claimed through the occupation forces' operations and 39 killed from airstrikes.
The Palestinian Health Ministry's death toll slightly varied compared to the OCHA's report, as it showed that 589 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since "Israel" began its ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, including 142 children.
Property damage and destruction
1,247 Palestinian-owned buildings have been destroyed or subject to destruction by the occupation forces in the West Bank. 481 of the properties are civilian homes, resulting in the displacement of 2,836 Palestinians, including children, due to their damaged state.
The OCHA documented 1,143 instances of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, including 108 injure-causing attacks.
916 cases of total property damage have been accredited to violence evoked by Israeli settlers, as well as 119 incidents causing both death and destruction of property and deaths.
NRC reports increased Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank
Recent reports from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), an Oslo-based NGO dedicated to protecting the rights of displaced people, revealed an alarming escalation in violence and human rights abuses in the West Bank during the first half of 2024. According to the organization, there has been a sharp 65 percent increase in violations compared to the previous year.
The NRC's also highlighted the significant rise in settler attacks, with 649 incidents recorded in the first half of 2024, up from 598 in 2023.
“The data indicates that Israeli forces are deploying unwarranted use of lethal force against Palestinian civilians,” Ana Povrzenic, the NRC’s country director in Palestine, said.
Povrzenic further attributed the West Bank's deteriorating situation in the West Bank to top Israeli officials who seek to assert control within the region despite breaching international laws.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
