UN humanitarians alarmed by escalation of violence in West Bank

UNITED NATIONS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians on Monday sounded the alarm over escalating violence across the occupied West Bank in recent days.

A new wave of attacks in the West Bank has killed at least eight Palestinians, including a child, and two Israelis over the past four days, leaving many others injured, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

Homes, mosques, trees and agriculture structures have been set on fire, vandalized or, in some cases, destroyed. The latest violence has also displaced at least 10 Palestinian families, according to the office.

Meanwhile, since Thursday, Israeli forces have tightened restrictions on Palestinian movements and access across many areas of the West Bank, preventing thousands of people from reaching essential services, including emergency medical care, and their sources of livelihoods, the office said.

OCHA has documented more than 1,330 incidents involving Israeli settlers that resulted in casualties, property damage or both so far this year. As of Saturday, 77 Palestinians, including 18 children, had been killed by Israeli forces or Israeli settlers in 2026. During the same period, three Israelis were killed by Palestinians.

"The humanitarian community continues to call for the urgent protection of civilians and strict respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law," OCHA said. "Perpetrators must be held to account." ■