Aid agencies demand action as settler attacks on Palestinians surpass 1,000 in the West Bank 

Aid agencies operating in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) have issued an urgent warning that the number of Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians has escalated dramatically since October 7, surpassing 1,000 incidents. This alarming increase has heightened the need for immediate and concrete action from the international community to protect Palestinian communities.

Oxfam’s Middle East and North Africa Director Sally Abi Khalil said this was a “disturbing milestone”.

“In a context where outpost legalization is being fast-tracked, and Israel is stealing more and more land, foreign governments must act now to stop this illegal appropriation by taking meaningful measures to hold the Israeli Government and perpetrators of these attacks to account,” said Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam’s Middle East and North Africa Director.

The Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), including Oxfam, urgently calls on the international community to take concrete measures to protect Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank.

Since October, at least ten people have been killed, including two children, and 234 have been injured, including 20 children. The settler violence has also led to the forcible displacement of 1,260 people, including 600 children, from 20 communities. The frequency of attacks has doubled, now averaging four attacks per day.

Emergency services and humanitarian aid are systematically blocked by Israeli soldiers and settlers, exacerbating the vulnerability of affected communities. The violence is increasingly premeditated and coordinated, with support from the Israeli government and local settlement councils. Despite clear evidence, no prosecutions have been made, and sanctioned settlers continue to receive substantial support from Israeli governmental bodies.

We are deeply concerned about the transfer of significant legislative and administrative powers in the West Bank to the Israeli civil government. This shift exacerbates human rights violations and enables further annexation.

We urge immediate international action to protect vulnerable Palestinian communities and uphold their fundamental rights. The international community should support the removal of settlements and endorse a rights-based, Palestinian-led construction process in Area C. Advocating for reparations, including restitution, rehabilitation, and compensation for affected communities, is also essential.

We call on the international community to adopt new measures targeting organizations and state entities promoting violence against Palestinians. It is crucial to hold Israel accountable for military and state authority complicity in settler violence and to uphold international law by acting on the forthcoming International Court of Justice opinion regarding Israel's policies in the occupied territory.