West bank: The occupied West Bank is witnessing a 'silent war' amid record levels of violence by the Israeli army and illegal settlers since October 2023, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Sunday. 'Tens of thousands of people remain displaced a year after the launch of Israel's operation "Iron Wall" - the largest displacement since 1967. Their homes are now gradually demolished to prevent their return,' UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on US social media company X.
According to Anadolu Agency, on January 21, the Israeli army launched a large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank, resulting in the deaths of scores of individuals and the displacement of thousands. Lazzarini reported that over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied territory since October 2023, with almost a quarter of them being children. 'Attacks by Israeli settlers continue unabated, with Palestinian communities being constantly intimidated, uprooted + their livelihoods ruined,' he stated, emphasizing that 'impunity reigns.'
The UNRWA chief highlighted the agency's ongoing role in providing emergency aid in the West Bank despite facing significant challenges. He noted that while global attention has been focused on Gaza, there has been a normalization of flagrant disregard for international humanitarian law in the West Bank, urging that this must be halted before it is too late.
The Israeli army and illegal settlers have intensified their assaults in the West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, an official body, illegal Israeli settlers carried out nearly 4,723 attacks against Palestinians and property in the occupied West Bank in 2025, resulting in the deaths of 14 Palestinians and the displacement of 13 Bedouin communities comprising 1,090 people.
Official figures further revealed that at least 1,110 Palestinians have been killed and 11,500 others injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers in the territory since October 2023. In a landmark opinion issued in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.