UNRWA says occupied West Bank facing ‘largest displacement crisis since 1967’
UNRWA has warned that the occupied West Bank is experiencing its largest displacement crisis in more than five decades. In a post on X, it said that “in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, UNRWA is leading the emergency response to the largest displacement crisis since 1967”.
“One in four displaced families are still unable to return to their homes,” it said, adding that the UN agency has been “removing 13 tons of waste daily in communities hosting forcibly displaced people” as part of efforts to support sanitation services.
The warning comes amid months of escalating Israeli raids, demolitions and settler violence across the occupied territory, which have driven thousands of Palestinians from their homes since the war on Gaza began.
UN humanitarian chief warns of rising settler violence against Palestinians
The United Nations humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, has warned that attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are on the rise, and stressed that continued “impunity cannot prevail”, calling for accountability for the violence.
In a statement posted on X, Fletcher said: “The failure to prevent or punish such attacks is inconsistent with international law. Palestinians must be protected.”
Attacks on Palestinians have surged over the past year, with rights groups and the UN issuing repeated warnings. More than 1,000 incidents were recorded in the first eight months of 2025 alone.
The olive harvest, on which many Palestinians depend for their livelihoods, has also been disrupted by the violent activities of settlers on both the olive trees and on Palestinian communities. The current harvest is set to be the most violent in a decade.
Israeli soldiers launch more raids across the occupied West Bank
A series of more armed incursions by Israeli forces have been reported across the occupied West Bank over the past several hours, including raids into the Nablus villages and towns of Burin, Qusra and Rujeib.
During a raid in Beit Inan located northwest of occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers detained two more Palestinians after assaulting them while picking olives, according to the Wafa news agency.
Another Israeli attack was reported in the village of Jayyous, located east of Qalqiliya.
Israeli authorities also handed over the body of Ahmed al-Atrash, who was shot and killed by an Israeli settler at the northern entrance to the city of Hebron two days ago.
Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian agricultural land
Palestinian-owned lands south of the city of Nablus were set ablaze by Israeli settlers, the Wafa news agency has reported.
The fires broke out on Tuesday night, with a large group of settlers, reportedly backed by Israeli forces, preventing villagers from reaching the area and assessing the damage.
Israeli settlers attack activists in Salfit
Israelis from illegal settlements have attacked a number of Israeli solidarity activists in the Wadi Abbas area, located between Deir Istiya and Qarawat Bani Hassan, west of Salfit, the Wafa news agency is reporting.
The report added that armed settlers “attacked the activists, assaulting them and causing injuries, and threatened to shoot them”.
